


Treacherous

by ofathena



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2020-06-02 04:46:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19434223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofathena/pseuds/ofathena
Summary: Demetri discovers his human bloodsinger witnessing for the Cullens.





	1. Holly

The sun glanced off of the bonnet of the silver Mazda to her right, catching Cairo's peripheral as she indicated to change into the fast lane, her Toyota Rav 4 jolting as the traction changed. Pushing her sunglasses down off the top of her head, Cairo flicked the indicator off, glancing up in time to see the signage overhead. She was still a hundred miles out of Forks, the drive from Phoenix having been a relatively peaceful one and the sun had followed her for the majority of the three-day drive. The weather seemed to be taking a turn though, Cairo noticed, rainclouds marching the horizon over the tree blanketed hills. Forks was still over an hour away, but Bella's words about the small town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula rang true, Forks always had miserable weather.

The next service lane was under a mile away, and with the promise of a rest stop, Cairo left the highway, driving down the quiet stretch of road off of the 1-5 N. Bella had pleaded with her to come and visit though Cairo had presumed that she was still annoyed at her after Cairo had been returning from Ontario when Bella had been getting married a couple of weeks ago. Cairo, who'd never met the groom or any of those involved in the event was reluctant to attend but she'd never have told Bella that. Cairo had at first not really wanted to make the journey, but on the realization that she was being selfish and she hadn't seen Bella since her best friend had moved to Washington to live with her father a few years ago, Cairo had decided it was probably for the better that she made the trip up. Cairo had always adored Washington, with it's generally cool but not freezing winters and humid but not frying an egg on the sidewalk heat in the summers and Seattle was picturesque.

With a sigh, Cairo turned the car off, resting a wrist against the wheel for a moment before she exited the vehicle, her legs stiff from the automatic's pedals. Pushing her hair back off of her face, Cairo strode across to the gas station, loading up on food items that would hopefully get her through the next few hours before heading back to her car, flinging the snacks onto the passenger seat with a huff. She probably wouldn't eat them, they'd spend their time melting into their wrappers until she eventually remembered to throw them out but the comfort of having them there was why she'd actually bought them.

Cairo remembered when she had first met Bella. Isabella Swan had always been like her name, like a slim, gentle swan who despite their awkward beginnings, bloomed into something beautiful. Bella had never seen herself as beautiful, Cairo would never understand why not. But she was, sweetly so, not like the other girls she compared herself to, in a way that almost intrigued Cairo. Blonde was not a rarity in Arizona, but pale skin you were hard to find, with Cairo venturing west to California for months on end during the long summer. Cairo loved the sun but more than anything, she favoured rainy days and grey skies, clouds that clung to mountains and the sweet smell of the rain as it descended from the foothills. Bella, on a few occasions, when they had managed to catch the other free for a few hours and been able to call, had described Forks as tiny but snug. 

If Forks, despite it being terribly small in comparison to Phoenix, was better suited for Cairo, maybe she would do a Bella and stay there, she thought that Bella would let her or the boy that had called her yesterday had offered to let her stay. Cairo realized she hadn't put much thought into Jacob Black's words but she'd almost been ignoring the entire call in favour of ignorance.

Bella had told Cairo about Edward being part of the supernatural not long after she herself had discovered it, and then about Jacob Black and the tribe of the Quileute werewolves that roamed La Push and all the weirdness that had happened between Edward leaving and graduation. Cairo had no idea why she had believed all of what Bella had told her, never doubting her best friend, but she knew if Bella was to lie, she would lie about something not as ridiculous as the fantastical world she had constructed. Cairo and Bella went a long way back, when they were three, Cairo had nearly killed her by coming down a slide too fast and Bella had not moved until the last second. From then on, they had been close friends and throughout middle school had avoided the 'popular' clique though once Bella had broken the news to Cairo that she was moving, Cairo had gravitated to that same group she had avoided for so long.

Bella called her when she was a couple of miles out from Forks, the highway seemed to stretch on forever and she kept having to jolt herself out of her thoughts. The ringtone startled her and her fingers tightened briefly around the steering wheel as her heartbeat began to resume its normal tattoo. She pulled over onto the shoulder and turned the car off, picking up the call.

"Cairo, its me. I'm just calling to check in how far away are you? You said you'd be here before sunset." Cairo chuckled quietly, suddenly aware of how strange her friend sounded. She sounded tired and too quiet, as though she had not enough energy even to raise her voice over the soft whisper.

"I'm ten miles away Bella, don't worry. I had a nap and lost almost an hour. I'm not too far away. How are you feeling?" There was a soft sigh on the other end.

"I'm okay, thanks Cai, I've been better. I'm looking forward to seeing you. How was the drive?" Cairo hummed.

"It was alright, didn't hit anything and didn't die." Bella gave a choked laugh which to Cairo's horror ended in a coughing fit.

"Bella?" There was a sharp hacking cough that ended in a wet splutter.

"Sorry, I had something in my mouth." Bella really had never been good at lying.

"So where should I go once I reach Forks?" The distraction technique came easily, years of swerving her mother off of her true course came in handy.

"Edward, my husband told me to tell you that we live just outside Forks, there's a sign that'll take you towards the Hoh Forest, if you follow that, Edward and his sister Alice will meet you to direct you to the house." Cairo raised her eyebrows, out of town, how typical for vampires. Probably so they couldn't be seen to be not sleeping and drinking blood and all of that weird vampire stuff.

"Bella, are you sure you're okay?" There was silence again before Bella muttered quietly.

"Yeah. I'll see you soon. Then we can talk." Cairo chewed on her lower lip, a brief sense of foreboding washing over her. She knew Bella was sick, how bad, she wasn't sure. She needed her best friend to be okay, she couldn't bear it if anything happened to Bella.

Spotting the brown sign in the fading light, Cairo indicated, turning into the new road before she flicked her lights on, the trees casting long shadows as the sun sunk beneath the horizon. She nearly drove past them, but the flash of pale skin caught her attention as she braked hard, nearly ending up through the windscreen and then she let the window down, eyeing the two impossibly beautiful, though pale brunettes in front of her.

"I'm really hoping you guys are Edward and Alice?" Bella had mentioned that half the family had dark hair while the others were blonde, almost like yin and yang.

"I'm Cairo, Bella's best friend, but I think you already know that," Edward nodded, his oddly golden eyes warm, but searching.

"We've heard a lot about you from Bella, she talks about you all the time," Cairo smiled warmly at this information.

"All good things I hope?" Alice chuckled, a sound reminiscent of a tinkling bell and spoke.

"Yes, all good, you don't need to worry about us judging you either, any friend of Bella's is a friend of ours." Alice had an ethereal beauty and Cairo briefly wondered if it was a vampire thing to be so beautiful.

"Yes," Edward said and she glanced at him, startled.

"It is a vampire thing." Cairo flushed, she had forgotten about Edward's helpful talent in reading minds and focused on her hands in embarrassment as Edward got in the passenger side, whilst Alice took the back seat, sliding across into the middle and to Cairo's relief, they both strapped themselves in.

"Bella's not well is she?" Cairo murmured as she steered back out onto the drive. Edward's face remained impassive but Cairo knew this was a vampire thing and disregarded his lack of emotion.

"She's very sick. We-something happened to her and it's killing her," Cairo made a soft noise of anguish and Edward nodded and there was a soft sadness in his golden eyes.

"How long are you staying?" Alice asked quietly and Cairo shrugged.

"However long Bella needs me for," Alice met her eyes through the rearview mirror.

"Good. We're going to need you. One of the wolves will as well; Jacob has gone a while without human contact and you will be refreshing," Edward grimaced slightly, a gesture Cairo found odd but she didn't comment as they turned towards a massive house, sitting utterly alone in the midst of the woods.

"Cairo, before we go in, there are some things you need to know," Cairo swallowed at Edward's words, a great weight settling in her stomach as she nodded, inclining her head at the vampire.

"I have a gift like foresight, it enables me to glimpse the possible future. Meaning if one continues on their set course, they should reach the future I have foreseen," There was a quiet meaning in Alice's silky voice and Cairo's eyes flashed up to meet the vampiress' in the rearview mirror, surprise stirring through her though she knew she should have expected as much, Bella had warned her some of them had gifts though she had possibly not completely understood the meaning of gifts. It was then that Edward sighed quietly, emotions darting through the mixture of gold and caramel in his eyes and Cairo recalled that vampires didn't need to breathe, clearly he was exerting some frustration at Alice's words.

"She wants to tell you about your future but I don't know if you will want to see it. I also don't think you should prepare to go back to Phoenix anytime soon, the bag under your seat will prove helpful given the light of the situation," Cairo stiffened, she hadn't said a word about said bag but focused on parking the vehicle before she turned it off and stared at the wheel beneath her fingers, composing herself with a brief exhale.

"So I can assume I will find something I'm looking for here?" Alice and Edward shared a brief look, one that Cairo couldn't read as she assumed they were communicating mentally as well as through their gazes.

"Maybe wait for her to come to terms here, Alice. Leave it for now, it's not the right time," There was a sharp note in Edward's otherwise even tone, one that even Cairo caught and Alice's shoulder loosened almost imperceptibly.

"Wait until after she's seen Bella at least, don't blur her perception of the situation with your prediction," Cairo allowed her eyes to linger on the two vampires as they retreated back towards the house. There seemed to be an undercurrent in Edward's voice, though she hoped that desperation was not what bubbled beneath Edward's otherwise calm surface and that she was overreacting as she moved to enter the lion's den. Glancing back, towards her car and the tree line, Cairo wondered if she'd see that view the same way after she entered the house, whether her perception of the world would be altered and whether she wanted that.


	2. Rouge

The Cullen residence was grander still than it appeared from the outside. With its large rooms made even more spacious by practically floor-to-ceiling windows and delicate decor smattering a number of tasteful antiques, Cairo found she was quite enchanted with the whole establishment. She resisted the urge to run her fingers over the dark wood of a coffee table that looked suspiciously like a 19th-century replica that Cairo's mom had dragged in one day, though she highly doubted this one was a replica.

Cairo glanced around, her footsteps sounding very loud in the otherwise quiet house and Cairo wondered how vampires could stand living out here, though they were quite far from the town, if their senses were anything like she perceived than even the distant noise would be an irritant. They'd probably heard her practically arrive in Washington, she thought with a stifled smile, her attention turning to the entrance of several other vampires to the room Edward and Alice had led her into.

Three of the Cullen family were blonde, a slightly older man and two younger ones who looked like they'd stopped ageing around Cairo's age though they were the most beautiful creatures Cairo had laid eyes on. The younger male, she noted, seemed to be in obvious turmoil as he eyed her whilst the blonde girl, who could be some distant relative of Cairo's, managed a frosty smile in her direction. Then movement to their left distracted Cairo again and with a breath of relief, her eyes found Bella's chocolate brown ones, though her best friend was otherwise looking a tad worse for wear. Cairo slipped past Edward to embrace Bella carefully, aware that she seemed to be more fragile than usual and thus, Cairo was a lot more gentle than she would have liked to be, she would have prefered to practically body slam Bella with a hug but reckoned the vampires would not approve.

"Cairo, thank God. I was so worried you'd gotten lost," Bella said into Cairo's ear, though her whispering made little sense if all the vampires could hear their heartbeats.

"This is my family, my new family and well, Edward's family," She gestured at the group, of whom Cairo noted had gone up a few since she'd hugged Bella, a slim brunette had joined the older blonde and a guy who looked like a bear had wrapped an arm around the waist of the blonde girl.

"You've already met Alice but this is Jasper, the youngest," Bella nodded at the blonde boy, who managed a smile at Cairo, one which she returned though she recognised that if there were any vampires in that room that she would be wary of, it would be him or maybe the icy blonde.

"They are Esme and Carlisle, my mother and father-in-law," The two older vampires descended upon Cairo to hug her and though she was surprised by their embraces, Cairo felt a lot more welcome after they did.

"Rosalie and Emmett," Bella continued, gesturing to the blonde and her bear-like boyfriend, both of whom smiled at Cairo and Emmett moved to hug her, though Rosalie did not and Cairo didn't really mind, she had the right mind to be nervous of Rosalie as she looked as though she could snap at an instant.

"It's lovely to meet you all, thank you for allowing me into your residence. I'm Cairo, Bella and I were friends when we lived in Phoenix together." She wasn't sure if she should add anything else on but fortunately, or unfortunately, she was distracted by Bella shifting slightly on the couch and revealing a rounded stomach

"Bella, Jesus, you better have a balloon up there or something," Cairo hissed and despite herself, Bella chuckled, shaking her head as she and Edward shared a look. Cairo's eyes flashed to Edward's almost guilty face with a narrow-eyed gaze.

"Was that why y'all got married so quickly? Because you got her knocked up? What kinda baby is it when it's father is a vampire? Also, how? I thought y'all were essentially dead and that you didn't have any of that whatever going on!" Emmett smirked widely at Cairo's inquisition and even Rosalie looked faintly amused.

"That's the problem, it didn't happen prior to the wedding. On our honeymoon Bella and I-" Cairo made a noise in the back of her throat, eyes flashing to Bella.

"Jesus, this happened on the honeymoon? That was like a week ago!" Cairo spoke, a tone of incredulity seeping into her voice, she was confused, though not confused enough, which bothered her.

"Cai, you'll be the godmother right?" Bella said, probably to distract Cairo and the distraction worked as Cairo froze, looking taken aback but soon her face settled and she nodded, though there was a grim determination about her now.

"The problem is, it's essentially killing her-" Cairo threw her wallet at Edward, though he caught it, she still stood up, her eyes narrowing furiously.

"It's goddamn what!" Her voice raised loudly, eyes blazing and several of the vampires scattered throughout the room took hasty steps back.

"It's like a parasite, leeching onto her and essentially draining her of nutrients, she can barely eat and drink with her stomach practically turning itself inside out because of the child," It was then that a bronze-skinned boy entered the house, making several of the vampires' noses wrinkle as he did and Cairo looked him up and down briefly as she wrapped a protective arm around Bella's shoulders. This boy apparently did not own a shirt, which amused her somewhat though she knew it was not the time.

"Sorry to interrupt, thought I heard someone's dulcet tones and reckoned it was not one of you leeches so I had to make sure y'all weren't feeding on someone," The guy said in a tone that suggested he didn't really care if they were and that he was simply there for the hell of it.

"I'm Jacob Black by the way," The guy said, extending a hand to Cairo, who shook it, noting he didn't look vampire and that he'd nicknamed them leeches, as well as inferencing that they fed on humans, which revolted Cairo, though she glanced quickly at Bella to check that she wasn't drinking blood, as though Bella wasn't human, whatever was in her stomach was and probably needed blood to survive, like it's father. She shuddered at thought only to find Edward staring at her intently.

"Cairo, what did you just think?" Edward asked, his voice low and Cairo panicked, had she offended him? At Edward's minuscule head shake, she backtracked but then realised that maybe, just maybe she'd made a point that the vampires, along with the one Bella had said was a doctor, had not come to this realisation yet.

"I was just wondering if you were feeding Bella blood because whatever's in her stomach is at least half vampire so it would essentially need blood to survive, that's probably why she can't hold human food down," All the vampires gazed at her, an almost new light shining in all their eyes and Cairo held up her hands defensively.

"Sorry, I did bio in high school and to my knowledge half the chromosomes from the mother and half from the father, guaranteeing the baby is vampire, I didn't mean to offend anyone," Cairo said, allowing an apologetic note to seep into her tone but Carlisle, standing, shook his head briskly.

"No, no your idea was perfect Cairo, unbelievable that we didn't think of this ourselves," The doctor grumbled softly.

"Bella sweetie, how does that sound to you?" It was Esme who spoke and she sounded like how Cairo thought angels sounded, like soft piano music and gentle sunshine. Bella didn't hesitate, though she looked a tad nervous as she spoke.

"I can do that, I can drink blood if it'll help him," Cairo glanced around, eyes meeting Edward's briefly but she said nothing to him, addressing Bella instead.

"I can blend it up with something more appetising if you'd like, I mean, I don't know if you have the stomach for blood but I certainly don't," Bella smiled faintly at her friend's words, remembering she was squeamish in high school before she sighed quietly, nodding.

"Maybe that's a good idea, I don't think I can stomach it alone," Carlisle nodded at the new information and turned to head into the kitchen, his eyes found Cairo's before he beckoned Cairo to follow him and after a moment, Jacob joined them in the most pristine kitchen Cairo had ever been in.

Carlisle took a small pouch filled with blood out from a small fridge and Cairo made vomiting notions to Jacob, who laughed, despite the unhappiness hidden on his face. Cairo was directed at the fridge in search of strawberries, which she located two punnets of and set to work dicing them so she could blend them into oblivion.

Once Jacob had blended the strawberries, the three began to mix the blood with the berry mixture, luckily it was similarly coloured though it still made her stomach roil as she poured the mix into a thermos for Bella, Carlisle giving it to Edward to take to Bella who seemed content with it, though it made Cairo want to hurl.

"Cairo do you want to follow me upstairs, we prepared the guest bedroom for you, if you don't mind sharing with Jacob, he said he would take the floor," Cairo glanced over at Jacob, who grinned at her. During the strawberry situation, he'd told her he was a werewolf and though Cairo was not feeling particularly receptive after such a day, she had nodded, her head bursting with information.

"Doesn't he have a pack? Or a home?" She asked Carlisle as Edward headed back into the room, making him chuckle at her words.

"Yes, but he didn't want to leave you in a house with vampires." Cairo blinked before looking abashedly at Jacob who winked at her before Edward led the way upstairs.

"So how old are you?" She asked as they headed up a wide staircase and Edward smiled vaguely.

"About a century old." Cairo's mouth fell open as she stared at the bronze haired vampire before her eyes flicked to Jacob to check that he wasn't messing with her. The werewolf nodded and Cairo's eyes bulged.

"Get out," She breathed, he looked like he was her age, not dating back to the early 20th century. He grinned at her as they passed what looked like a colourful gradient that Cairo, upon further inspection realised were graduation caps for numerous schools and colleges and her eyes narrowed again. Unbelievable.

"Bunch of overachieving nerds," Her remark was loud enough that she caught Emmett's rumble of a laugh several rooms away as Edward hid a smile.

The room was beautiful, quite modern and very minimalist, which Cairo decisively liked. There was a large bed and a huge rug with a fur blanket draped over a pillow on top of it, for Jacob, Cairo presumed, her bags in a corner by a small desk and large windows that looked out over the forest.

"This is so nice, thank you, Edward. Also, I know I'm staying here because Bella was insistent but you say the word and I'm down the road at a hotel, I know y'all probably think I reek," Edward shook his head, smiling faintly.

"You're very welcome here Cairo, do not fear." With that, he headed out of the door and Jacob grinned at Cairo.

"Do you wanna shower first or should I?" Cairo glanced up at him, eyebrows furrowing slightly. It'd be nice to get the stench of blood off of her.

"Go ahead, I'm going to be a while here." She had a bunch of emails to reply to and wanted to make a start on sorting out what she'd actually packed into her suitcase.

"I'll close the door, but I won't lock it in case you get tempted shortcake." Cairo eyed him briefly and he winked at her theatrically and then she threw a pen at him, her eyes barely leaving the screen.

Jacob took a while in the shower though Cairo didn't mind, she'd managed to get through most of her emails and was texting her mother to let her know she'd made it to Forks when Jacob plonked himself down on his fur with an exhausted sigh. Cairo rolled from the bed, humming softly as she entered the bathroom with the towel that had been sitting on the end of the bed and stripped off quickly, the cool air chilling her skin.

Cairo stepped into what felt like an entire room of a shower, the hot water was nice on her muscles and she lathered the shampoo in her hair before tilting her head up into the spray, feeling the bubbles slide down her thighs to the floor. The conditioner was jasmine scented and she decided to buy more of this type, it was sweet and refreshing.

Finishing up in the shower, she rubbed the water droplets from her skin before she changed into sweats and a singlet under a jumper, before brushing out her tangled wet hair and braiding it loosely. Applying her normal moisturiser, she capped the tube and put it away before heading back out into the room, humming that Beyonce song that rarely left the radio before she collapsed onto the bed.

The following morning was when it began. Cairo was up before the sun, sitting out on the balcony watching the sky lighten through the heavy clouds. It would rain later that day, she could smell it in the air, the sweet scent of the plants as they prepared to drink. Heading back inside, she placed her bowl in the sink, running the tap until the milky water disappeared down the plughole.

Walking near silently into the living room, she startled no one with her appearance, smiling gently at Bella, who cradled a blood-filled cup. Bile rose in the back of Cairo's throat and she looked away briefly, just as Bella slipped. She dropped the cup, which hit the ground with a thud, managing to not break but blood sloshed from the cup. Jasper's eyes narrowed and Cairo moved to intercept.

"I've got it, Bella." She warned her friend, to no use, Bella was already reaching for it, her fingers grasping.

"Bella no-" Cairo flinched back as suddenly Bella seemed possessed, rearing backwards and there was a sharp sound. Jake grabbed hold of Cairo, pushing her behind him as Bella screamed in pain. The vampires in the room burst forward, Edward grabbing hold of his wife before anything more could go wrong and Carlisle moved swiftly to intercept and assess damage control.

"Your rib is cracked." Carlisle murmured, his fingers dancing softly over Bella's ribcage.

"But there are no splinters. You haven't punctured anything." Edward made a low noise in the back of his throat and Cairo winced.

"Yet." Cairo's eyes narrowed.

"It's breaking her bones now. It's crushing you from the inside out. Carlisle, tell her what you told me. Tell her." Carlisle looked resistant but then spoke when Bella pressed him to though Cairo didn't think she could bear it.

"Carlisle, tell me. It's all right." Carlisle looked towards Cairo who stepped closer to listen.

"The foetus isn't compatible with your body. It's too strong. It won't allow you to get the nutrition you need, even with the blood mix. It's starving you by the hour. l can't stop it, and l can't slow it down. At this rate, your heart will give out before you can deliver."

"Then I'll hold on as long as l can, and then..." Cairo swallowed thickly, her eyes blurring with tears.

"Bella baby no you can't, " Cairo whispered grasping Bella's hand in her own. Bella looked up at her, dark chocolate eyes pained.

"Bella, there are some conditions that even venom can't overcome. You understand?" Carlisle murmured as Cairo moved to sit on Bella's feet, wrapping her hands around Bella's ankles in a familiar position.

"I'm sorry," Bella muttered.

"Edward, I'm so sorry," There was a ripple of tension through the room and the door slammed as Jacob hurried from the room, sniffling unhappily.

"l can't bear life without you," Edward spoke urgently, almost under his breath but Cairo was close enough to hear his distraught words. Bella remained unyielding, her tired eyes still holding the illusion of strength.

"You won't live without all of me," Edward grimaced at her words, a gesture that Cairo had yet to see displayed across his impassive features.

"Do you honestly think that l could love it or even tolerate it if it killed you?" Bella looked ready to protest and Cairo was ready to throw up. Edward grabbed her shoulders tightly, though his grip was gentle, pushing her towards Esme, who took the human's warm hand in her cold one, leading her upstairs.


	3. Strawberries

It was hard, for Cairo, as a human, to work out exactly how to cheer up an entire family worth of vampires. Sure, she knew how to cheer her own family and friends up but these more ancient beings; she had little to no idea on how to even begin. It was an accident when eventually she did manage to distract everyone from their melancholic states and though at the time, she wasn't completely aware she was doing it, later, Cairo realised just how well it had worked.

Cairo was leaning back on Bella's legs, her butt against the couch and bare feet dug into the carpet, as Bella toyed with her hair thoughtlessly. Bella had a blood smoothie resting close to Cairo's head and she was practically meditating so that the smell of blood didn't penetrate her nostrils, however, Cairo prided herself on her sense of smell and the metallic scent had long since invaded her senses. A memory, an old one, flashed through her head with a startling clarity, though it was an older memory and usually, they dripped with saturation and blur.

"Hey Bella," She mused aloud, calling the attention of those in the room to her as she was the only one to have spoken in a while, the vampires had long since lapsed into silence.

"Remember that time we nicked my dad's truck up the farm and crashed into the dam?" There was a heartbeat before Bella behind her began to shake with laughter and Cairo smirked, though Edward looked intrigued and Emmett and Rosalie were also watching them curiously.

"God I've never seen him that mad," Cairo chuckled, her shoulders shaking as she laughed and Bella nearly fell off of the couch she began to laugh so hard.

"Remember, remember he was all scary and then later we found out the dam was like a foot deeper than we got to truck stuck in and they could get it out but he'd already grounded both to the house with the dogs there as guard dogs?" Bella's voice trembled with mirth and Edward smiled as his wife met Cairo's eyes, Cairo's were streaming as she now could not physically laugh, her stomach became painful as she shuddered.

Jasper, who Cairo had spoken little with since she arrived, was now leaning forward and Cairo noted the scars twinning up and around his pale wrists and arms, pale marks identical to the one on Bella's wrist that Cairo faintly remembers as being the product of an angry tracker vampire.

"Do you want to ask about the scars?" When Cairo nodded shyly, he sighed quietly.

"I made some bad friends and through them I suffered many bites after I was turned however so though they scarred, none of them are what turned me," Jasper murmured and Cairo knew he was brave, braver than anyone she knew. He was so nonchalant about something that affected his appearance and though she kind of wanted to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay, she resisted, simply taking his hand briefly in her own and squeezing his fingers in hers.

Cairo shrugged and then it was quiet again, only Jasper chuckling breaking the quiet until Edward, with a tentative hiss, shushed everyone scattering the room.

"Did anyone else hear that?" There was a fragility to Edward's voice that startled Cairo into turning her entire focus on him as Jasper too turned to look at his brother, surprise dappling his features. Edward moved then, as usual, fast enough that Cairo could barely make it out but as she focused on him, she found he had sunk to his knees by Bella and had his hands pressed to his wife's stomach.

"She likes the sound of your voice," Edward's voice was shaky and for a moment, the entire room lapsed into a silence that seemed to stretch until Cairo moved to crouch by Bella beside Edward, her fingers darting briefly over Bella's bump.

"You can hear her?" Her voice was tinged with something that felt quite close to alarm and Edward nodded, a soft smile breaking over his features and Bella seemed to light up.

"In my mind. Faintly, at first I thought you were cycling through memories again Cairo, but it was different, less blurry and more intense and real and then I realised the only other creature in the room whose voice I didn't know, was hers. She doesn't have a voice per say, its more like a consciousness and she's aware of us, all of us who have spoken and she's very inclined towards us and especially Bella," Edward's words seem to sink into Bella, tears beginning to slip down the pale girl's face and Cairo squeezed her hand briefly, coaxing her quietly before she leaned back on her heels and stood, deciding it was better to leave Edward and Bella alone to enjoy this time to themselves.

"I never asked why you came here when you did?" Jacob's tone is open and he's seemingly purposefully injected warmth into it that Cairo notices. She shrugged on the jacket he held out, aware she'd been sitting out in the cool for long enough and sighed quietly to herself.

"I wanted a break and Bella gave me the out. I'd just got back from a holiday and you know when you go away by yourself and you start to discover yourself? Well I discovered I really, really wanted to move to Washington and so, when Bella asked me to come up, I jumped at the chance, I wanted it to be a test run, I mean, I wasn't expecting this. Now I feel guilty, both for not coming earlier as well as treating what was obviously a plea for help as an out," Cairo wedged her chin into her arms, digging it into her bones and Jacob wrapped an arm around her, shaking her slightly and forcing her to release her arms.

"It's not selfish, you couldn't have known. You're being too hard on yourself and its not fair, to you or to Bella," There's a warm finality in his voice and for a moment, Cairo wonders what it would be like to fall in love with Jacob Black. He's solid, warm and real and there's a sweetness to him that she enjoyed. He was fast becoming a bit of a rock in this otherwise entirely chaotic situation and she found she was quite reliant on him, as much as it pained her to admit.

A scream from inside shattered the brief peace she'd managed to build up and before she'd stood, Cairo had realised what was happening and she should have realised it a whole lot sooner. If the baby had coherent thoughts, it was pretty close to popping and a half-vampire baby with coherent thoughts? She and Jacob were already moving inside by the time the thoughtfully processed in her head. The baby was coming out and Bella was dying a whole lot faster.

"Where's Carlisle?" Edward was yelling as Jacob and Cairo stumbled in and Cairo's eyes widened at the realisation, Carlisle and Esme had gone hunting, not predicting the baby's arrival for another few days and now they were minus a doctor and Esme's calm presence.

Cairo's mind worked fast, her mother worked in an emergency room, but Cairo had never picked up anything vital other than knowing how to sew a wound shut and how to attach a drip, but that was easy enough. Somehow, as Cairo's mind spiralled, Jacob and Edward were lifting Bella and carrying her out of the room and it was all Cairo could do but hurry after them.

For reasons unknown, the Cullens had morphine drips, tray tables and a full operating table but Cairo did not dwell on this addition as she began helping to attach Bella to a drip that Edward practically threw at her. Bella was still screaming, her body jerking oddly and Cairo struggled to hold herself together at seeing her best friend like this. 

"Jacob, I need you here with me, Alice, call Carlisle, Cairo, I need you to keep her calm!" Edward barked out orders and Cairo was barely aware of herself nodding as she moved to press Bella back into the operating table. They began working, Edward moving too fast for Cairo to keep track of him and she could hear Alice on the phone, hysteria clouding her voice and Cairo knew she wasn't going to be any help like this, Alice seemed terrified and though that unnerved Cairo, now was not the time.

"Carlisle, it's me. I'll relay back to Edward, tell me now and tell me quickly," Carlisle seemed to be relieved to hear the level-headed human before he spoke and Cairo wondered if he had to deal with this a lot in the hospital. 

"Her placenta, it must have detached, that's all I can think of," Cairo swore quietly, relaying the message back to Edward who nodded quickly at her words, not sparing her a glance as he worked. 

"He's on his way but I don't think they'll make it in time," Cairo spoke with a sharpness that caught Edward's attention briefly, he again nodded at her words and grimaced again.

"We'll have to do it," Edward sounded slightly unsure but it was too late for that, Rosalie grasping a scalpel and Cairo didn't think she could watch. Rosalie dug the scalpel in then, Cairo flinching away and Edward snarled something at Rosalie, as Bella screamed again. 

Then Jacob was there, ripping Rosalie away and hurling her in Alice's direction and the two female vampires were gone and everything was happening too fast. Cairo's head was spinning but one thing was clear and certain.

"Save her! You've got to change her!" She yelled at Edward, her voice shaking but powerful.

"l can't, not whilst she's still in there. l got to get her out first. Stay, Bella. Stay focused. Keep your heart beating." Cairo swore loudly, snatching Bella's hand up.

"Bella. Look at me! Look at me!" Bella's tired eyes drifted towards Cairo as tears began to slide from Cairo's eyes.

"No! She's suffocating!" Jacob snarled at Bella's words and then there seemed to be a release and Bella's fingers tightened around Cairo's for a brief moment.

"Bella no!" Edward sighed softly as Bella's screaming ended. Cairo glanced around tiredly to the vampire, the small child in his arms a beautiful sight for sore eyes.

"Hey. Hey, hey. It's Renesmee." Edward told Bella, holding the child out to his wife. It was then that Jacob realised that Bella had gone still, eyes unfocused.

"Bella? Bella? Bella!" Cairo's cries were desperate but to no avail, it seemed.

"Jacob, take the baby," Edward snarled, reaching towards his wife and Cairo grasped the blood-covered baby as Jacob snarled.

"Keep that away from me!" Rosalie grasped for the baby and Cairo let a low snarl through her teeth.

"Don't touch her. Stay away from us both," Cradling the child, Renesmee, Edward had murmured, Cairo slipped into her bathroom, beginning to run cold water in the basin before adding warm until it was the same temperature as her skin before she, still supporting the baby's small head, dipped it into the water.

Using a soft flannel, Cairo pushed away most of the blood, careful to leave the skin folds alone, remembering her mother's words about skin barriers developing. Renesmee watched her with pretty eyes and Cairo realised that she was crying. Renesmee had Bella's eyes and Cairo had no idea if her best friend was living or dead. Once she had cleaned Renesmee fully, she wrapped her up securely, making sure it wasn't too tight before she carried the baby downstairs.

Jacob walked into the kitchen as Cairo tilted the blood bottle back into Renesmee's mouth carefully.

"Touch her and I'll punch you in the face." Cairo snapped, glancing over at him, only to find that Renesmee and Jacob were staring at each other, Jacob watched the baby in awe and Cairo remembered something he had told her about imprinting and wolves. Letting out a low whistle, Cairo stared at Jacob with wide eyes.

"Okay what even?" Jacob shook his head softly.

"I don't know if she'll make it Cairo," Cairo's face fell.

"She has to. She promised. She'll do it. I know she will. She can't die, Jacob, I barely just got her back, she's my best friend, I can't lose her," Jacob took a step closer wrapping his arms around a now sobbing Cairo.

"I can't lose Bella," She whispered in his ear, her fingers absentmindedly stroking Renesmee's bronze curls.


	4. Blush

There was a part of Cairo that hated what Bella had become. She knew it was wrong for her to be so angry, but this changed everything. The pain Bella was suffering throughout the transformation, that in itself was enough for Cairo to wish her best friend had never met Edward. She made quite clear her stance on all of it, keeping more to the pack than to the vampires, Seth and Leah became her go-to duo with their quick wit and easy friendship. In the two days it took Bella to complete the transformation, Cairo found she spent a lot of time with the Clearwaters and Jacob, as well as being introduced to the pack they'd left, that of Sam Uley, who received her quite warmly and she was honoured when he informed her she was always welcome at his and his fiancee's house.

It was after she'd been visiting said fiancee, Emily, a beautiful native woman who made the best blueberry muffins under the sun, that Jacob texted her to tell her that Bella was awake. Stepping into her car, Cairo sat there for a minute in Sam's driveway, allowing herself to breathe for a minute before she started the engine and backed out of it, knowing by the time she reached the Cullens, she would have steeled herself. She wasn't overjoyed with Bella's transformation, but she was grateful for her friend's life, even if in Cairo's eyes, she would never be the same. Though Bella might look similar, Cairo already knew she wouldn't be the same girl Cairo had grown up with, but in a way, that was okay. Maybe it was easier, but in its own way, it was harder and once Cairo did reach the Cullen residence, she paused again. The probability of Bella drinking her like a mojito on a summer's day was remarkably high but she had Leah, Seth and Jacob with her, as well as Sam on standby, he'd promised to send a wolf to watch over her, as close as they could get and she knew that Sam had no quarrel with said wolf tearing Bella apart.

Stepping out of her vehicle, Jacob was by her side in a moment with Leah and Seth jogging to flank her moments later, Leah squeezing Cairo's hand comfortingly and Cairo was overwhelmed by the warmth and ferocity of their support. Jasper joined their small group, with Emmett knocking a fist over his chest in greeting once he noticed them, his eyes solemn for once and Cairo tried to quell her nerves as she rounded the rise.

Bella, but not as Cairo knew her, stood, faintly glimmering in the watery sunlight, her arms around Renesmee who looked overjoyed to be in her mother's arms and Cairo felt a surge of relief that Ness had taken to her mother so easily. Edward glanced up first, probably hearing the thoughts of the four advancing and smiled faintly, nodding at Cairo though she did not return the gesture, keeping her eyes on Bella who had become aware of them as well. Cairo doubted Bella had been able to smell her quite as strongly as normally, with the wolves and their apparent reek flanking her on all sides, her scent would probably be altered in the very least.

"Cairo," Bella's voice matched Alice's, it's high pitched sing-song ringing a melody in her ears. Cairo eyed her, keeping the sceptical gaze hidden as her eyes roamed the newborn. Bella was almost taller, thinner even, her limbs more translucent and her hair somewhat shinier, as though she'd stepped out of a L'oreal commercial but she still had some of the quintessential Bella features that Cairo had grown up with. Her high cheekbones and swan-like neck had remained, though they seemed impossibly more delicate and beautiful. She smiled then and Cairo almost searched for fangs, catching Edward's brief glower but she didn't care what he thought, he wasn't the one that Bella could decide was a chew toy. 

Bella stepped closer and Cairo felt Leah's fingers tighten around her wrist, though Cairo herself didn't budge. She'd encountered predators before and if Bella had the urge to attack, it would only be provoked if Cairo fled.

"You kinda still look like you," Cairo's voice was more even than she anticipated and pride surged through her, she was glad she'd stood her ground. Seth bumped her shoulder silently with his own, his presence a reminder that she was indeed safe. Taking a step forward, towards Bella and Edward, Cairo measured the reactions she got. Esme looked ready to spring forward, as did Emmett and Rosalie, with Renesmee in her arms, was watching Bella silently, her eyes calculating. Jacob also had adjusted his posture so that he was still covering Cairo if Bella did in fact react.

"You look the same, but different. I can see all of your freckles Cai, I can smell you, I can smell Emily and blueberries and everything in between, it's amazing," Bella did indeed seem in awe, however Leah's low growl when she mentioned smelling both Cairo and Emily reminded Cairo that this may be awe, but it was also fascination, as a hunter regards its prey and she would do well not to forget that.

Cairo took another step and Bella mimicked her, Leah falling back slightly as Cairo advanced further until she and Bella were only a few steps from each other. Edward hovered over Bella's shoulder and Cairo could feel Seth's warmth behind her and had Jacob still beside her. Bella reached out then, slim fingers catching a few strands of Cairo's hair and she studied the silvery strands with faint interest before she returned her golden gaze to Cairo's face. Cairo met her eyes, green meeting gold and Bella smiled again. She could hear Cairo's heartbeat, it was picking up a little every once in a while but she could barely hear it beneath Seth's thundering heart rate, Leah's soft snarls and Jacob's steady beat. The wolves were protecting Cairo from Bella, they feared the interaction and by the way they reacted whenever Bella seemingly took a step out of line, it seemed that her threat was real. Bella found she could also sense the other wolf within the tree line, one of Sam's but clearly protection, as though Cairo was precious cargo or Bella was a dangerous predator. Bella grimaced, she was indeed but she didn't think she could hurt Cairo, not badly and she definitely didn't thirst after the blood she could hear within her friend's veins. But maybe she should, it seemed odd that she could thirst after a mountain lion but not a human, natural vampiric prey and for that she blamed on her strong emotional connection to Cairo.

She had known her since the two of them had been in first grade, Cairo had always been the more brash and outspoken but she had protected Bella, always and now, it was time for Bella to protect Cairo. Without thinking, Bella brought Cairo into her arms in a gentle hug, her friend going briefly limp before she returned the embrace, Jacob nor Seth slackening on their stance and Bella knew it would be a while before they did.

"Missed you Bells," Cairo murmured quietly and Bella briefly rested her head on top of Cairo's, hugging her best friend closer to her. Leah let out a low, warning growl but did not advance and Bella knew until Cairo asked her to, Leah would not move. Bella found she was very grateful for the friendship between Leah and Cairo then, the other woman looked ready to tear Bella to pieces but a single glance from Cairo slowed her, calmed her and Leah seemed to relax entirely, her shoulders rolling back and her mouth unpursing and Bella was startled at how truly beautiful she was.

When Bella finally released Cairo, Edward wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pride gleaming on his face and she smiled at him, pleased with herself and her restraint. Their family had drifted away, Cairo with a few murmured words had moved back amongst the wolf pack but she waved to Bella with a warmth that made Bella smile and then Bella turned back to her tiny little family, to her daughter and husband and her smile brightened even more.


	5. Rose

With Bella now an immortal and Renesmee as an almost immortal, everything the Cullens thought they knew about the vampire world was changing. With Bella's quick ease into vampirism, Cairo often found herself staying at the Cullens, though she spent the rest of her time divided between the two wolf packs, having formed bonds with both the Clearwaters and Jacob, as well as Paul, Embry and Jared. Sam also had made her feel very welcome on the land, though she often felt like a trespasser on the Quileute reservation despite their reassurances. 

It had been almost a normal day in the Cullen residency when it happened. Cairo, who had fractured her wrist punching Paul after he'd been rather cheeky, had her arm in a brace so she hadn't been able to join them on the trip up to see snow. Edward had begun pacing the house as the snow outside began to fall faster; Bella, Jake and Ness had been gone for a while longer than promised and Cairo didn't need to be Jasper to feel the nervous energy coming off of him in waves. Bella appeared then, flanked by Jacob and a distressed looking Renesmee in her arms. Edward let out a quiet hiss, blurring to her side and Cairo sat up with interest, her eyes meeting Jasper's briefly as they watched the trio interact. Jacob seemed angry about something and it wasn't until they entered the house that Cairo caught some of the conversation.

"An immortal child?" She asked, picking the first of several unfamiliar nouns. Jasper stiffened somewhat, quite obviously so and Jacob seemed to pick up in interest, clearly, he was being left out as well. Bella looked slightly distressed, even for a vampire and when she caught Cairo's eye, they shared a look, Bella's one of worry and Cairo's one of growing anticipation. Several of the other Cullens had begun to join them, Esme and Carlisle drifting in and Alice seemed to have followed the noise. 

"They are something similar to us, they are vampires but they are children and children forever. They were very beautiful; to be near them was to love them. But their development was frozen at the age they were turned and so they couldn't be taught or restrained. A single tantrum could destroy an entire village, and by that, I don't mean just the village, I mean the occupants too," Cairo flinched at the iciness coating Carlisle's voice, he seemed very far away as he spoke and something like nausea had begun to creep into Cairo's belly. Fear prickled up her spine and for a moment, she reminded herself to breathe.

"Humans heard about the devastation. Stories spread. The Volturi, our police, was forced to intervene. Since the children couldn't protect our secret, they had to be destroyed. Their creators grew very attached and fought to protect them. Long-established covens were torn apart. Countless humans slaughtered. Traditions, friends, even families. Lost, and now, it seems Irina believes we have created an immortal child, as her mother did long ago. Her mother died for it and it seems Irina will see the same for us," The realisation of danger hit Cairo solidly, finding she had finally come to understand what exactly was going on. The vampire they'd apparently encountered whilst out, Irina, was going to the vampire police and they were going to come and kill Edward, Bella and Renesmee because they believed they had created an immortal child. 

"So what now?" Cairo was almost afraid to ask, but she refused to be left out of this, she was Renesmee's godmother after all and she refused to allow any such harm or being to come to Renesmee. Edward studied her, his expression warming at the fierceness glittering in her eyes, her thoughts echoing with the same fire. He had wondered when this would happen, when what Alice had seen would take place and it seemed that it would be sooner than they had imagined. 

"Aro has enough proof in Irina's thoughts not to leave this matter be. So we fight," Edward's words were bold, from what Cairo had heard about the Volturi, they would not be on even playing or fighting fields.

"Their offensive weapons are too powerful. No one can stand against Jane. Alec's even worse," Cairo wondered what Jasper meant by that, figuring it had something to do with the vampiric abilities. However, she was overwhelmed by the seeming helplessness of the group before it occurred to her just why they were feeling like this.

"Then you don't stand alone, you guys are old, you must have friends who will fight with you? You have Jake's pack and I can speak with Sam, he'd be more than glad to rip into some vampires, but you're not alone in this, even I know that," Cairo spoke with an edge of almost hostility, knowing Carlisle was too gentle to allow any harm to come to his dear ones and that might trump his not wanting to bring his friends into this as she knew he'd not want to. 

"I won't ask them to fight but asking them to witness, I can do that. If enough people knew the truth, maybe we could convince the Volturi to listen," The family all nodded as one and Cairo quirked her mouth, rather pleased that her rousing speech had brought about this, an alliance was better than nothing and against a force like what she imagined the Volturi was, they would need as many hands on deck as they could reach.

The coming weeks brought more and more vampires down and up, from all over the world and Cairo found she much preferred being amongst the wolves than surrounded by the red and golden eyes, she also didn't fancy becoming a snack to any of them, lest one of them lose control. She found she often had a bodyguard when she did find herself at the Cullens, Leah or Seth more often than any of Sam's pack, who were growing more and more restless as more and more vampires filtered in. They'd had several more kids phase and the timing wasn't exactly ideal, Sam, Paul and Jared had their hands full training a bunch of barely teenaged kids.

However, it was the arrival of the Romanians that unnerved the wolves and Cairo the most. They were strange beings, even for vampires and Edward had informed her quietly that they were old, older almost than the oldest of the Volturi. They descended from treetops, rather unannounced and Cairo found herself quickly flanked by wolves, Jacob and Leah both in human form, though their snarls were more wolf than human and Cairo was comforted by their presence, allowing Ness to slip from her arms and into her mother's as she stood, eyeing the vampires curiously.

"Vladimir, Stefan, you're a long way from home." Carlisle did not greet the odd vampires in an uncivil tone, though Cairo noticed Jake and Leah both take a protective step in front of her. Leah's fingers were very warm around Cairo's bicep, the pressure a reminder of her presence and Cairo found she was able to relax, knowing Leah was indeed with her.

"We heard the Volturi were moving against you. But that you would not stand alone," The accent startled Cairo, she hadn't encountered such a strange drawl in her life and for a moment, she struggled to place it correctly. 

"We didn't do what we were accused of," There was not indignance in Carlisle's voice, he was as calm as he usually seemed but Cairo could see he was quite stiff, as were most of the surrounding vampires and as Cairo glanced around, she realised she had a protective circle around her, all almost glaring at the Romanians, Rosalie, Bella and Tanya, from Alaska all keeping a close eye on the distance between the human and the strange vampires. 

"We do not care what you did, Carlisle. We have been waiting a millennium for the Italian scum to be challenged, they and their witnesses are on their way here now and lucky us, we managed to stumble on the opposing party," The dark haired one snarled, his eyes flashing over the crowd of vampires with a maliciousness to his words. There was a brief hush and Cairo glanced towards a clearly agitated Leah soothingly, taking the wolf girl's fingers in her own briefly. Leah smiled briefly at Cairo but her dislike for the Romanians was quite clear.

"When Aro wants someone from a coven it's never long before evidence turns up proving that coven committed some crime. So he's done this before? It happens so rarely, I never realized it was a pattern. Apparently, he always pardons one person whose thoughts he claims are repentant. This person always has an ability. And they're always given a place with the Guard," Tanya's father spoke calmly, though the look he flashed his mate told Cairo this situation was anything but. 

The conversation dissolved into arguing, Bella leaving Cairo's side to join Edward's though Cairo noted how often Bella's eyes flitted over in lieu of checking on her. Jacob leaned on Cairo's shoulder teasingly, flicking her ear to distract her and she glanced at him, some of his hostility had slackened and he seemed less ill at ease than Leah, who muttered something about running the border and vanished into the tree line, Cairo watching her go, missing the warm presence of the she-wolf already.


	6. Maroon

The weeks that followed brought around more training, more so of Bella than of anyone else and occasionally, Cairo being dragged in to help out though she was unsure what she could do that none of the other vampires could. Eleazar, Tanya's adopted father, had suspicions that Cairo had a gift, though given it did not obviously present itself, he found it difficult to both read it and given the human was rather reluctant amongst the vampires, he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to the possibility. It was a few days before they were to meet the Volturi when the gift presented itself quite helpfully, something that was a relief to Eleazar as when it did make an appearance, he found it easy enough to gauge.

"The human, she's not quite a catalyst, she's almost a conductor. Anytime she's touching anyone gifted, their gifts become more focused, more intense and the most powerful," Eleazar spoke quietly to Edward as the two watched Bella and Cairo work to elasticize Bella's shield, Cairo had no idea of any such gift but as Eleazar and Edward watched, Bella was able to expand the shield further than ever before, Bella gazing into the distance in wonder. Kate, whom Eleazar had asked to test the theory, grabbed Cairo's wrist later as she forced Edward to his knees, Edward snarling in pain, which doubled the moment Kate touched Cairo and event through the blinding pain, Edward realised Eleazar was right, it seemed that Cairo did have more hidden talents than he realised. That would be another thing the Volturi took from them when they came, they'd take Cairo near instantly, once Aro discovered both her gift and her connection to Demetri. 

It was when she had been helping Bella that Cairo first came to terms with the gift, she hadn't noticed it prior to Edward and Eleazar explaining it to her, but now it made sense, Edward had sensed Renesmee when Cairo had been touching him and Bella's shield was strongest when Cairo was with her, but Cairo sought to adapt her gift, as Bella had and despite her not being of the vampiric nature, Cairo knew herself. Reversing the gift sounded easy enough in theory but when Cairo had absolutely no idea just exactly how tangible her gift was, she thought she would struggle. However, when she put her mind to it, it was as though someone had flicked a switch and with her hand in Bella's, exerting enough mental energy to flush her cheeks, Edward gave a low hiss from across the clearing, his eyes on Bella in a way that made Cairo feel as though she'd interrupted a moment between them. 

"I can hear you," For a vampire, Edward seemed quite breathless and Cairo relaxed, grinning broadly as she realised that the brief exertion had in fact worked, the concentration on that small part in the back of her mind as Eleazar had advised had worked and seemingly, the reaction to it was so much better than what she could have hoped for. It felt weird to Cairo, in a way, a human like her wasn't meant to have powers but after Kate, the vampire electric eel, made a quiet comment about her being made to be a vampire, Cairo allowed herself to divulge into thoughts that branched into a transforming manner. Being a vampire, for Cairo, had never been something she'd desired, even when she was a kid reading about vampires, she'd always envied the fairies and the pixies more than any vampire. She also had no one to ask, as all of them seemed to have been sworn to silence by Edward, who knew more than he was letting on and with Alice missing, Cairo knew was missing the vital source.

The dreaded day arrived quicker than Cairo thought physically possible, Leah waking her with a gentle shake to tell her they needed to move and with a grimace, Cairo rolled out of the couch bed, descending into a grumpy heap on the floor before she shook herself like a wet dog and hurried into the shower, knowing that she'd need one to calm the nervous energy jittering through her. Leah seemed rather anxious as well as she handed Cairo her large coat, the hood of which was fur lined and Cairo prayed it wouldn't itch, as the annoyance distracted her more than anything else. Emily practically smothered her with a scarf a moment later and Cairo hugged her friend tightly before they left, Cairo's anxiety playing up enough that she worried if she'd see Em again. She was glad Sam was leaving some of the younger wolves with Emily, just in case anything went wrong with the Volturi, if anything happened to Emily, Cairo didn't know what she would do.

The wolves and Cairo moved out quickly, Cairo finding a place on Sam's back, he was the biggest of the wolves and carried her easily, ignoring her pleas that she didn't need a lift. Once they joined the vampires, and Jacob had Ness on his back, Cairo felt a little less out of place though she knew couldn't get distracted for once she did, she knew she'd slip off of Sam's back. They arrived at an empty plain, the wolves hanging back slightly, though the amount of them meant that they near barricaded all accessible entries to the field of snow, Cairo slipped from Sam's back with a ruffle of his fur before she moved to stand by Seth and Jacob, Ness smiling shyly down at her from Jake's back. Cairo took Ness' fingers in her own, squeezing them briefly and neither girl let go of the other, the comfort in the gesture warming Cairo from head to toe. 

"The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming," One of the vampires hissed and Cairo found Bella at her side a moment later, Cairo releasing Ness' hand to take Bella's and she watched her friend's brows crinkle slightly in concentration before she sighed quietly, a faint smile brushing her lips. Cairo's free hand, she left on Jake's shoulder, unknowing if her power extended to werewolves but if there was any werewolf that needed strength, it would be Jacob.

"They're looking for Alice," Edward murmured, the mass of dark ants still faint to Cairo's human eyes and from her peripheral, some of the wolves surged forward and out of the treeline, making their presence more than known. Sam, to Cairo's left, let out a warning snarl, almost a quelling sound and Cairo shifted anxiously on her feet. Fear was crawling up her spine with icy claws and even the warmth of Jacob's fur could not push it down. Cairo didn't adore vampires, she was fine with the ones she knew but strange, human drinking vampires would always raise her blood pressure.

"Aro, let us discuss things as we used to. In a civilized manner as no laws have been broken," Cairo studied Carlisle briefly, he spoke normally and she wondered just how good vampire hearing was if the Volturi, who were still about a hundred feet from them, could hear him. She hadn't encountered it before and though she knew they had exceptionally good hearing, it puzzled her in a way she could not explain. One of the three foremost vampires made a sound even Cairo caught, though she did not hear his words and by the cruel twist of his face, she was glad for that.

"She is not an immortal! These gathered hear can attest to that or you could look yourselves," Carlisle's voice became a snarl, his eyes flashing brilliant gold as he spoke and Cairo wondered if the golden-haired vampire of the trio was merely baiting Carlisle into anger enough to attack them, she'd read about and seen such instances however Carlisle she picked as being too intelligent to allow that to happen. Bella's fingers briefly tightened in Cairo's hand and she glanced up at her, Bella had become a lot stiffer than Cairo recalled her being and it wasn't until Edward slipped over to them that Cairo realised why.

"They want to see you, Ness and Bella. Don't panic Cairo, they're not going to eat you I promise but if anything happens, if one of them tries anything, you know what to do," Edward's apparent calm was not helping Cairo, her heartbeat quickening in her chest and with her braced hand, she reached down to hold Ness' hand as well as Bella's as the three of them, flanked by Jake and Seth, began to walk to the Volturi. Cairo glanced back once, her eyes finding Leah's briefly and the wolf yipped faintly, Cairo's stomach twisting but she couldn't let Ness or Bella down, Bella was in control of her shield well enough but with the amplification of it due to Cairo, she was hesitant to let Bella go. 

As the trio neared the vampire police, Cairo felt more than a few gazes finding her, her skin beginning to prickle with the heat of the gazes and she didn't like it, the feeling was almost like ants on her skin. Allowing Bella and Ness to walk ahead of her to greet the one Carlisle called Aro, Cairo hung back with the wolves, her braced fingers in Jacob's fur and Seth briefly plopped his heavy head on her shoulder, a gesture that nearly floored her however upon Jacob's growl, Seth seemed to remember himself and merely gave her a lick as an apology.

A low growl from one of the vampires caught Cairo's attention, a golden-haired male with blackened eyes was watching the interaction and Cairo wanted to raise her lips in a sneer, her eyes daring the vampire silently, sudden confidence pushing the expression. Jacob thumped her shoulder gently, his eyes telling her enough and she glowered at him briefly, before fixing her agitated gaze on the ground. She was still unsure why the vampire police needed to inspect her, did they need to make sure she was a human too? Bella stepped back then, opening enough space for Cairo to slip through and the darkest of the long-haired vampires gestured to her invitingly. Stepping forward, she took the hand that was proffered and nearly swore as she felt him using something on her, his ability was mental and she could feel it, desperately wanting to shut it down but everything in her told her not to, to hide the gift as much as she could.

"Cairo, my dear. It is lovely to finally meet you, one of mine has been awaiting you for centuries, I believe. What excellent timing!" There was something off about the way Aro spoke. He seemed genuinely pleased but his voice cracked with something close to malice and Cairo caught Bella's gaze, confusion dousing her features. What did he mean, awaiting her for centuries? The golden vampire with the very black eyes was the one that moved, a blur before he stopped a few feet from her, his nostrils expanding as he inhaled deeply and Cairo stepped back, fear coiling around her stomach as the vampire seemed to advance towards her, a hungry look to him. Jacob's snarl seemed to briefly distract the vampire's path, enough that the sad looking vampire placed a hand on his shoulder, seemingly calming him enough that the black of his eyes began to turn back to the dark crimson red of the human drinkers. Cairo found herself jerked back, Seth having taken a mouthful of her hood and jerking her backwards, the golden vampire snarling at his actions, his eyes only on Cairo, who was only growing more and more fearful.

"You're frightening her, she will never love you if you do this, scare her as you are now," It was Edward who spoke, his voice faint but even Cairo caught it as well as the urgency plaguing his tone. The blonde vampire stiffened, the older vampire's hand still gripping his shoulder and finally he seemed to stop, though his eyes didn't leave her, the aggression seemed to leave his stance. 

"Demetri, you must wait until after we have trialled before you collect her, she's still protected. Now, bring the informer forward," Aro's eyes strayed from Cairo to the crowd of vampires behind him, a blonde female who had similar features to Kate and Tanya stepping forward. 

"Is that the child you saw?" Aro asked, his voice like silk but there was danger to it, danger that pushed Cairo back to her feet as Seth began to edge back slowly, only for the one Aro called Demetri to snarl almost mournfully. 

"I'm not sure. She's changed. This child is bigger," The one who must be Irina said, her eyes said as she looked toward Kate and Tanya, both of whom were seemingly being detained and Cairo's eyes widened, she had noticed the chaos happening behind them.

"The Cullens are innocent. I take full responsibility for my mistake. I'm sorry," Cairo wondered who that last statement was directed at but it didn't matter, the gears had begun to turn in her head as she realised what was about to happen, Edward too seemed to have heard the silver vampire's thoughts as he advanced on Irina and before any of the others could move, Cairo turned towards the Cullens and their witnesses, her eyes locking with the only one who could do anything for Irina now.

"Caius, no!" Edward roared, just as Benjamin tore open the ground beneath them, just enough to throw the silver vampire off and Irina took off, sprinting towards her family. Cairo saw a small blonde vampire with cruel eyes advance towards Edward then and heard his scream of pain, recognising this child as one of the witch twins and fury overcame the fear drenching Cairo as she rolled to her feet and without further warning, grabbed a hold of the tiny vampire, shoving her power back down her throat with a low snarl. Bella seemed to snap back to attention, her shield hopefully pushing back out and Cairo released the tiny vampire, allowing Jacob again to jerk her back as the dark-haired boy beside the small blonde pushed out something that reminded Cairo of smoke, which lapped towards them but then, with a strange hiss, the dark-haired boy found Bella's shield, which held strong and Cairo let out a snicker, slipping atop Seth's back as they fled back to the safety of the group, leaving the Volturi dumbfounded by the extent of Bella's power.


	7. Sunset

The witch twins wore identical expressions of fury as they stared out of the Cullens and their witnesses. The girl, Edward had called her Jane, still seemed rather stiff after Cairo had thrown her power back at her, her black lined eyes flashing from face to face as she tried desperately to attack one of them with what Cairo remembered being described as crippling pain. The boy and his dark, coiling mist was having similar luck, Bella's shield unbreachable and when Cairo glanced towards her, she caught Bella's triumphant smirk as she made direct eye contact with Jane. Clearly, there was some prior animosity between the two of them that Cairo was unaware of because Bella seemed rather smug about it and the way she was flat staring Jane made it quite obvious who that smugness was directed to. 

As her own eyes flashed over the Volturi horde, many of whom wore expressions close to confusion as they looked between their masters and the Cullens, clearly this was unheard of in terms of resistance especially with the witch twins' powers becoming defunct in the face of Bella's shield. Her eyes found that of the golden vampire, whose crimson eyes met hers instantly, the hunger within them lessening slowly, the sad vampire still gripped his shoulder and a part of Cairo wondered how tight that grip was, recalling what all of the vampires surrounding her had said about bloodsingers and the irresistibleness of their blood to the vampire.

He, like all vampires, was breathtaking to observe, a lovely predator with sharp features, almost cruel in their beauty and though Cairo still prickled with anxiety, she found herself rather drawn to him and his cold sunshine. Edward glanced towards her, though he said nothing, there was something in his eyes that told her that her thoughts were nearing dangerous territory. 

Aro spoke again, too quiet for Cairo's human ears to catch but several of those surrounding her, including the wolves, let out low growls, fury striking each of their faces and she knew that he'd said something eluding to her and the golden vampire, who had started forward with a definitively predatory gait. Seth let out a snarl from beside Cairo before Edward near appeared at her side, holding out a hand to her briefly and she took it, glancing curiously up at him.

"Aro wants Demetri and I to explain to you what's going on and I believe Demetri is going to make a case for you to come back to Volterra with him, but it's your choice in the end. However, I will warn you that Demetri is a tracker, unparalleled, and with the scent of your blood, he could track you into space if he so wished. Just so you understand that, I'm not trying to scare you but I want you to know the whole truth," They had nearly reached midway between the Volturi and the Cullens with the golden vampire, Demetri already in the middle, waiting with that same look on his face, like he'd snack on Cairo in a moment. Edward squeezed her fingers briefly, catching that thought but Cairo kept her eyes on Demetri, whose gaze never flickered from her, even when Edward began to speak.

"Demetri, I will tell you once, if any harm comes to her when I step back, you will not only suffer our wrath but those of the wolves who guard her almost more fierce than us," Edward is icy calm, his golden eyes darker than Cairo remembered as he stared down Demetri, who finally looked over at him, crimson eyes receptive. Without a word, Demetri nodded at Edward, accepting the threat, the promise and then his eyes were back on Cairo. There was a faint softness to him that Cairo had not previously noticed, a startling sweetness and she was struck by the desire to touch his face, find out if the skin was as smooth as it seemed.

"Hello Cairo," Demetri had a soft voice, rich in accent unsurprisingly but she almost felt his voice didn't match his face and demeanour, it was interesting the difference between the two though she found both his voice and face very compelling. Maybe it was the vampire, but she'd never felt like that around all of the others she knew and a part of her knew it was him.

"I assume the Cullens have explained to you what it means to have and be a bloodsinger, Isabella and Edward are prime examples. I will ask of you that you return to Volterra with me when this is finished, as separation from you won't weaken me but I'll be unable to focus truly and I'd prefer you with me so I know no harm comes to you," He smiled faintly, a warm gesture that brightened Cairo slightly, there was a sweet abandon to the smile that made it seem even more vulnerable, something she appreciated. However, his words were a lot to think about, abandoning her family, her friends and her entire life because he needed her within arms reach? She understood where he was coming from but for Cairo to just up and leave, she would need time but he wasn't offering time. She was also very aware of Edward's tracking comment, that no matter where she ran to, he'd always be able to find her. 

"I recognise that but I need some time here before I leave everything I've ever known behind for a vampire I don't know. You're welcome to remain until I am ready to leave if you'd want," There was an almost timidness to her voice though Cairo had implemented the tone purposefully, she wasn't attempting to manipulate him but she wanted to instil a slight trust between the two of them. He smiled again at her words, his eyes flicking up briefly to Edward and then without warning, he grabbed hold of Cairo, practically pinning her to his chest though not tightly, he was not trying to hurt her and before she could even think to struggle, they were moving. They stopped moving on the other side of the Volturi, Edward snarling furiously and several of the Cullen vampires had started forward as Demetri placed Cairo gently on her feet, manoeuvring her behind him before everyone seemed to stop.

"Alice!" Aro's delighted voice sang and Cairo jerked her head in the direction he was looking, a smile brightening her face briefly as she saw the pixie vampire hurrying towards the group.


	8. Berry

Alice would forever remind Cairo of a pixie, even as she ran to stop a war. From Demetri's arms, Cairo watched the missing Cullen flit past her family, heading directly for Aro, who seemed to welcome her with open arms. Cairo recalled Carlisle mentioning that above all things, Alice with her seer abilities was what he desired to collect for his guard, her and Edward were the two that Amun had mentioned he would try to collect. Cairo supposed once he worked out Bella's ability, he'd want her too. Demetri adjusted the arm encircling her torso, his cold skin managing to permeate through her layers and she shivered, near flinching as his hand splayed over her stomach briefly, freezing fingers not digging in but the pressure on her abdomen was enough. Demetri seemed to become aware to her shivering, whether it was because her heartbeat picked or whether he could hear her teeth chattering, but a moment later, a scarf was looped around her neck and he moved his hands so they no longer rested outside of her waterproofs.

The scarf smelled strongly of spices that Cairo initially struggled to place, however after a few minutes, she was able to distinguish cinnamon and clove from the blend. Alice still had her palm pressed into Aro's, though Cairo caught her gaze briefly, as Alice flashed her a worried look but Cairo shook her head, knowing better than to make the situation any worse.

"My desire for your blood is paralleled alone by my desire for a mate and for you as a person, little human," His voice was a caress, wicked in nature as it grasped her spine and she shuddered to hear it, that lilting accent almost taunting her. He leaned closer to her, near overwhelming her with his presence, the very proximity and closeness of him something that made her both nervous and curious, the conflict of emotions chaotic within her. The desire both to turn around and flee back to those she knew and also to remain in the strength of his arms for as long as she could were battling within her.

He was a beautiful creature, though a cold one and from what she could see of his face, he was the most exquisite of male vampires. High cheekbones met dark golden tendrils of hair, that fell around the nape of his neck in procured waves, his crimson eyes almost almond shaped beneath dark brows that arched with a mysterious air. Demetri made him sound as though he had Russian or at least Eastern European heritage but his colouring and therefore lack of, made her wonder where exactly his roots lay. From the look of him, he didn't seem as pale as some of the other vampires, the dark gold of his hair also gave away either Northern European heritage or something obscure that she couldn't place, her lack of historical knowledge now nagging at her. 

There was also a certain softness, lingering around his jaw and under his eyes that Cairo gravitated towards, he had an almost goodness to him and though she knew better than to trust that, she didn't instinctively fear him like she would the witch twins. They were an entirely other matter, she studied them from the safety of Demetri's arms, an open curiosity that she hoped they wouldn't sense. Jane was pale, quite young with the slight build of what Cairo guessed was a teenager, just into puberty. How that didn't class her as an immortal child, Cairo wondered, she would bet on the twins being around fourteen though Carlisle had mentioned they were believed to have been around sixteen when they had been turned. She was blonde, pale enough even for a vampire that Cairo knew she was born much further north than Demetri was. Alec, in turn, was dark haired and looked like he would have been blue-eyed in life, with the chalky features to match.

Her eyes flashed over the rest of the Volturi surrounding her as Alice and Aro continued their silent war of minds. Close enough that Cairo could reach out if she wanted, a broad-shouldered hulk of a vampire, with dark hair and a heavy set to his frame occasionally tossed a glance Demetri's way, an almost teasing expression battling his otherwise severe features. There were women behind them, grey-cloaked and silent, though their eyes gauged all. Cairo found herself caught in one of the paler ones' gaze, her cold red eyes holding something similar to interest as she eyed Cairo down. The others barely seemed to see Cairo, the film over their eyes was almost tangible and Cairo dropped her eyes, not liking her gaze to obviously linger.

It was then that Aro finally released Alice, she could not see his face but she could see Edward's, Bella's, Alice's and they all held hope. Not fear, as she had worried, but there was something like hope gleaming in its own form on each of their faces. Demetri's hold on her tightened then, almost imperceptibly but he was pushing her behind him again, out of direct sight and she saw them then, two more vampires that she didn't know but they came from the same direction Alice had and they nodded at her as they passed, Alice hurrying to return to the Cullen side though Cairo noticed her gaze lingered on Cairo and Demetri. Demetri growled low in his throat, his chest vibrating with the sound and without thinking, Cairo placed a soothing hand on his chest, as she would Seth or Leah and Demetri started, seemingly taken aback by the contact she'd willingly offered. His free hand, or at least the one that wasn't clasping her to him, came up to grasp her hand, brief contact that sent something like shivers up her spine again, but it was something else, something she hadn't felt before. 

Her eyes flashed up, attempting to reengage in the conversation but it seemed Aro was winding it down, the blonde leader looked stubborn and the sad one looked bored, as though he couldn't wait to be away from this all. Cairo realised then that Demetri was going to try and take her with him, not allowing her to say goodbye, neither to her family nor to the Cullens and the gathering of vampires that she'd come to like. Fear shot through her, charging her and Demetri must have caught her blood quickening and her heart rate surging as she watched him struggled briefly, his pupils very wide for a few moments and then, to her relief, he seemed to be able to calm himself, relaxing only slightly although his grip never faulted.

"Please, at least let me say goodbye to the Cullens. I promise I won't run or anything, I just want to say goodbye, they're like family!" Cairo practically begged him, noting how pathetic her voice sounded as she injected enough sadness into it to hopefully sway the immovable vampire. He paused, Demetri appeared to be considering before he looked towards his leaders and a moment later, they were moving, everyone in opposite directions and Cairo felt her stomach roil. When they finally slowed, she nearly bent over and threw the contents of her stomach up, unable to breathe for a good few moments and Demetri seemed concerned, his hand rubbing gentle circles over her spine in an attempt to ease her queasiness.

"I apologise, amore, it was not my intention," She waved his concerns away, aiming a shaky smile in his direction as Bella hurried over, Renesmee and Jacob moments later. Demetri glanced hesitantly towards Cairo, recognising that this was probably rather private and he would be intruding if he remained.

"I will wait over there for you, amore. When you are ready, I will come back over but I want your happiness more than anything, and I know they make you happy," Cairo's smile made any sacrifice of price well worth it as Demetri retreated to still within earshot, but far enough away that it looked like he wasn't terribly worried about his mate's wellbeing. He trusted the Cullens with her, the shapeshifters less but she seemed comfortable with them, jesting with a dappled one before she embraced it and he could smell her tears. Leah, she called the wolf, a female name and it seemed the wolf disliked to let Cairo go, whether it was because of friendship or just love but it seemed both were rather reluctant. He watched as Edward and Bella wrapped their arms around her, Bella holding her especially close and then, once everyone had managed their goodbyes, she was turning back to him and Demetri smiled. Finally.


	9. Mahogany

Italy was somewhere Cairo in her extensive travels, had only visited once and she'd stuck to main cities, frequenting Florence and Rome as well as the picturesque Amalfi Coast. Volterra was surrounded by green, vineyards and rolling hills alike swelled around the base of the vaguely rust coloured city. It reminded her a little of Florence, though much smaller and set on a hilltop where Florence fell into a river. Like several other towns scattered throughout Tuscany, it was walled with what looked like an ancient amphitheatre slowly being buried beneath grass and weeds alike. From the windows of the sleek vehicle Demetri drove, Cairo had watched Tuscany flit by the entire drive down from Florence's surprisingly tiny airport. Security was rather swift, a quicker experience than Cairo had ever had in an international airport, the guards took one look at Demetri and Felix, who'd ended up accompanying the two of them, and they'd been allowed through without so much as a glance at Cairo's proffered passport.

"Have you always lived here or did they have another castle in a more capital city? Do the humans of the old city know what you are?" Cairo asked, her eyes never leaving the countryside. Felix, who was confined to the back seat, sat up slightly, he hadn't expected the human's curiosity though neither he nor Demetri minded her questions. She'd been full of them since they'd landed and though neither of them spent a lot of time actually interacting with humans, the very vibrancy to her was interesting and Demetri found himself quite present, more so than usual. The strangest thing about her was her tenor, the very flavour of her thoughts danced a sweetness through him and he found the scent was often what kept him from sinking his fangs into her throat. The plane ride had been difficult, he'd had to leave Felix briefly in charge of Cairo whilst he went and hunted, rather exorbitantly although he argued it was better than attempting to drain his mate mid-flight. After so many years, Demetri had thought he'd have more control but something about this human threw control out of the window. 

"They were here when I joined them so I believe that yes, they have lived here as long as they have reigned. Staying out of capital cities, out of the public eye was always crucial for vampires and though those of the city may know we are not like them, they are not entirely aware of what we are," Cairo seemed satisfied with that answer though he could see she had more to ask and he glanced towards her, not entirely prompting, but she seemed to recognise the invitation.

"Where are you from, I've been trying to place you but keep coming up short. You look like you could either be Northern or Eastern European but then the colour of your skin doesn't entirely add up, neither does yours," She gave Felix a look and he grinned at her, showing gleaming white teeth.

"I'm from Greece, actually, and Felix is from Spain. I was changed in about 1000 A.D, by someone I believe you may have encountered, Amun and until I joined the Volturi, I ran with that coven," Benjamin's face flickered through Cairo's mind, she wondered if he'd caught the interaction between the two of them but then it hadn't been anything except her asking him to intervene. Felix nodded at Demetri's words, settling back into his seat as they took a hard left and drove into the darkness of a tunnel. It was there that Demetri switched off the car and got out, Felix following suit and Cairo too, though she was slower than either of them. By the time she had gotten out of the car, Felix was already unlocking a large metal gate with a heavy looking padlock and Cairo realised they were in a parking garage as she followed Felix and Demetri up the sets of stairs. The stairs were ancient, well-trodden with deep wells taken out of what appeared to be marble and she recalled climbing Pisa, the feeling of treading where so many people had trod before her. Cairo's eyes flashed up, though it was dark enough within the room they entered that nothing stuck out and instead, she let her gaze wander to a waiting Demetri, who held out a hand for her as they neared large doors, impossibly tall and stunningly carved. 

Demetri seemed almost hesitant to open them, nonetheless, Felix was already pushing one of the heavy doors open to a large atrium, pale light filtering down through a dome in the ceiling to illuminate what appeared to be a throne room. Cairo recognised Aro, the blonde and the sad leader, all seated on a slight platform with the same strange women like waifs behind them. Aro's eyes seemed to brighten from their usual reminiscence of dried blood, crimson like a solar flare within his iris. A smile widened his features, making his pale face stretch almost impossibly and Cairo tried not to count his teeth.

"Young Cairo, we are very pleased to be able to accommodate you here, however, Demetri will have to go over some ground rules with you, as you will be surrounded by vampires at most times. I trust your flight and travels were smooth?" He spoke smoothly, as though rehearsed, with the clean precision of one who was very used to giving orders rather than receiving. Cairo nodded, not quite yet trusting her voice around the ancient vampires, Aro's smile almost widening at her hesitance though he did not comment, rather he turned so as to introduce the two behind him.

"Allow me to introduce, Caius and Marcus, they rule the guard alongside me and together, we harbour some of the most exquisite gifts in the vampiric world. Now you, I was alerted to the presence of your gift when my dearest Jane was unable to use her beautiful power on the intended. Did any of the Cullens explain to you what your gift was, I assumed you knew how to use it when you redirected Jane's power?" He sounded curious, but there was something lingering in his voice and Cairo conjured up the brief image of a green snake hiding within green grass, wondering if any mindreaders were scattered throughout the room. Aro had yet to touch her, so for now, her thoughts remained her own.

"They told me I was a gift, something similar to a conductor, I can either weaken or strengthen, depending on what I'm focused on doing. However, I have little control over it, with Jane, it was just protective instinct," In retrospect, Cairo probably should have kept that tidbit to herself however she saw no reason to lie. Aro seemed to consider her words, before nodding towards Demetri and Cairo realised where exactly this was going.

"Can you demonstrate, maybe on your mate, as the two of you are made for each other, you should find capping his abilities a breeze," Cairo obliged, taking Demetri's palm in her own and that same, strange feeling at the back of her mind grew warm as gradually, she began to get used to what others abilities felt like, Demetri's was a slight stretch in the oddest of ways and tentatively, she expanded the feeling to the best of her ability before recalling how she'd captured Jane's power and then pushed, unfurling the feeling until it engulfed the sensation she was getting from Demetri's touch. He started, blinking rapidly and nodded at Aro and Cairo nearly relaxed, glad that she could do it without having to be in dire need, before she began to mentally Demetri from her gift. He jerked again as his ability returned to him, though she was careful to allow it to unfurl slowly as Cairo didn't know the repercussions of flinging someone's gift back at them after blocking it.

"Fascinating," Aro beamed, she hadn't noticed he'd grabbed a hold of Demetri, clearly intent on seeing the extent of her power and he seemed rather pleased, though Cairo was quickly learning that Aro did not often look displeased when he was surrounded by his guard. Demetri was currently regarding her with something bridging on surprise and intrigue, his eyes flashing over her before they settled back on his master, though his fingers lingered around her wrist.

"Once we've turned you, with any hope it will make your gift stronger and more easy to control, as, like me, you're confined to using touch to desensitise and sensitise other's abilities but hopefully as a vampire, your gift will strengthen," Cairo shuddered at the thought, the appeal of vampirism was lost on her. The idea of drinking blood, human or animal, made her feel rather sick to the stomach and abruptly, she also felt rather faint. Demetri caught her as she swayed and Aro's face swam into view very briefly, worry disturbing his usual beam and then everything seemed to fall away and Cairo practically drifted into unconsciousness.


	10. Cherry

Cairo was startled from sleep by the sound of raised voices, which once her bleary eyes were open, she vastly ignored. Sitting up with a low groan, she found her head heavier than she remembered and that she was in what appeared to be a bed straight out of every fairytale movie, a burgundy four poster with a burnished gold trim that reminded her starkly of Gryffindor Tower. The room she awoke to was dark, spare a cracked window letting what Cairo believed to be moonlight puddle on the rich, vaguely blood coloured carpet. She wondered how long she'd slept. All she could remember from her previous consciousness was everything falling to pieces, as though someone had shattered her from within and memories stained with the scent of blood resurfaced, the metallic taste filling her mouth with a vicious swiftness.

Practically stumbling from the bed, Cairo made a beeline for what appeared to be the bathroom, not even bothering with the light switch before she emptied whatever was left in her stomach into the toilet. Throat burning, she sat back on heels, reeling from the near sprint she'd made to the bathroom with her head swimming dazedly. 

Cool hands grasped her forearm and she nearly shrieked aloud before realising it was Demetri, with his usually calm expression riveted to a worried look, his eyes narrowing slightly as he helped her up. He clutched her briefly to him, fingers sweeping her sides carefully as he seemed to check up for any other irregularities. Her heart rate was up, making her sound like a frightened rabbit and he did not miss how it jumped when he'd appeared and the way it was slowly eeking back to a regular pace within his presence. He lifted her slowly, Cairo trembling slightly in his grip and when he placed her on her feet, Demetri felt her wobble unsteadily against his chest. 

"Are you okay?" It was a stupid question that he needed to ask, a reassurance that he was indeed worried he needed. She nodded faintly, her skin still leeched of colour but the trembling was fading fast, so much so that when he released her to exam her face briefly, she didn't sway on her own two feet as she had done a minute prior.

"I'm alright, just nauseous and I'm not quite sure what happened?" She sounded vulnerable, confused and the way her shoulders were stiffening, he wondered if he should keep a hold on her. Between her heart racing like nervous prey and the blood that he could smell pouring off of her, it was a wonder Demetri hadn't attacked her yet, but his bloodlust could wait until he knew she was safe. It was unusual, even for him this amount of control was dazzling. Sure, the mate bond was something he hadn't ever put much research or effort into, he'd gone so long without her that he'd almost stopped believing in it for him altogether. But here she was, shuddering like scared prey in his arms and he wanted nothing more than to protect her.

She slept for a while longer after that, layered in blankets and looking rather fragile beneath their weight. She was tiny against the dark of the bed, hair splashed over the pillow and skin looking remarkably pale against the deep crimson of the duvet and as Demetri shut the door behind her with a last look, greeted moments later by a curious looking Jane and Alec, both of whom paused momentarily before they began to badger him with quickfire questions. Demetri held up both hands, near glaring at the twin immortals before he grimaced and divulged that she wasn't well enough to come out from the room and that they were to give her space. The witch twins, despite their sharp demeanours, would always be childlike in their true nature and the idea of a new plaything was something irresistible for the both of them. 

"Humans are so unfortunately fragile, if you believe she might require care, I know a doctor or two," Jane is subtle in her offer, as though it means very little but the relief that soaks through Demetri is practically palpable. The idea that his mate might have something that couldn't be fixed with rest worried him and the knowledge that Jane had clearly got contacts was reassuring. He did not ask about those contacts and she wasn't forthcoming, the conversation dwindling as the witch twins headed on their ways.

The next time Cairo woke, it was daylight that spilt onto the carpet and when she slipped out of the bed and onto the soft of the carpet, the sudden nausea she'd recalled from the last time she'd woken didn't rise and with a sigh of relief, Cairo made a slow venture towards the bathroom. She showered quickly, relieved to find her own products were there and briefly wondered who'd placed them there whilst she was sleeping but she was too grateful for the familiar scents to even contemplate complaining. When she stepped from the bathroom, she discovered she wasn't alone, Demetri had taken residence on the chaise lounge beside the window, his eyes on her the moment she exited the bathroom, towel still wrapped around her tightly, water dripping from the knot she'd spun her hair into. Wordlessly, he stood and moved to leave as she watched him before he half turned to say something.

"Call out when you're finished, Aro wants to check on you and Marcus is rather worried, Jane passed on that you were still unwell and they were rather concerned. As am I," His voice strained just enough that her eyes flicked from her suitcase to him and she stood, towel clasped to her chest as she met his gaze.

"I'm okay, I'm just jetlagged and nauseous and I probably need to eat something so could we do that once we've seen the leaders?" Her voice was tentative but Demetri liked that she'd said we, as though she wanted him to come along to get something he couldn't consume just for the sake of having him with her. 

He nodded, trying not to show his enthusiasm at the idea as plainly as he felt it. It was a step in the right direction, for both of them and though Demetri would admit, he hadn't been entirely exhilarated by the idea of a human mate, or any mate in general, the amount of feeling he got from even the smallest exchange and tiny things like having her in front of him in nothing but a towel made him feel things he'd never quite felt before. Demetri had felt lust before of course, but never as intensely as he was now, having her so close to him and the very scent of her skin was enough to make him shiver. He nodded again, unable to help himself before he all but ran out and into the hallway, where though her scent reached him, it wasn't accompanied by those eyes that were so exhaustively alluring. 

Felix caught him on his way back down to her room, he'd headed to the room for air and the big vampire nudged him almost playfully. Felix seemed to get it, he didn't have a mate of his own yet but he'd been with enough women to understand the almost frustrated undertones to his fellow guard's temper.

"Jane was complaining she could smell your little mortal on the roof but I assumed it was just you with her scent on you. What have you been doing to get that much scent on you?" Felix teased and Demetri grumbled quietly, pushing Felix's hand from where it had come to rest on his shoulder. 

"I was in her room, that's all," Felix just chuckled, rolling his crimson eyes and Demetri knew that Felix thought there was more to the tale but that was his mistake and Demetri was fine with letting his friend believe what he wanted as he knocked on Cairo's door again. The door clicked upon and Cairo jolted at the appearance of Felix, who waved almost mockingly, though it was in good humour and Cairo aimed a tentative smile up at the big vampire, showing her teeth briefly as she did so and Felix grinned again, this time with mirth and something like warmth.

"Little Cairo, everyone's been asking about you. How are you feeling? Is Demetri being grumpy with you?" Felix sidled along beside her as they crossed into the main hallway, Demetri keeping quiet to allow Cairo her own time and though it seemed she didn't mind Felix's presence, he did notice that she kept a little closer to him as she answered him.

"I'm okay, thank you. I feel like it's passed and it was just jetlag combined with me having a weak stomach. I don't know actually, I don't know what Demetri's like when he's grumpy or not so, so I couldn't tell you," Demetri's mouth quirked up at this and Felix laughed again.

"Trust me little Cai, you'll know. Now, I have elsewhere to be, though I would like to continue a conversation with you sometime soon, I must say I'm quite interested in hearing your side of the story, how you came to know Bella Swan and befriend vampires and werewolves and yet be so unfrazzled by that and then get mortally ill at the thought of drinking blood," The blood rose into Cairo's cheeks but she snorted good-naturedly. 

"Well I guess that's a conversation for another day. Nice to see you Felix- oh and Demetri is taking me somewhere to get food later if you wanted to join us," Demetri stiffened and after Felix's eyes flicked between the two of them, he shook his head gently.

"I won't today, precious one, I believe you and Demetri need some alone time before I start crashing your dates. Have fun you two, I'll see you later," He wiggled his fingers at Cairo playfully and nodded at Demetri with a warmth that the latter appreciated greatly before Felix was gone and they were alone in front of the great doors.

"You ready to do this?" Demetri asked Cairo quietly and Cairo nodded almost instantly, her eyes set and hard and Demetri felt a surge of pride. He knew she was afraid, he could hear her heartbeat but she was strong outwardly none-the-less.

"Let's do this," She said before he heaved open the great doors and in they went.


	11. Mistletoe

Aro had that look on his face when they entered, the one that told Cairo she was not going to enjoy this conversation. It startled her that in such little time, she could already work out from his expression where this encounter was headed, for a vampire, he had a very expressive face as well as his inability to control that strangely gleeful expression that darted across his features every so often. Even his eyes were telling, the crimson seemed to glint in the light and she was quite certain even Demetri wasn't so easy to read but her apparent soulmate seemed to hold his emotions close to his chest where Aro allowed his to radiate. 

The witch twins were there, Jane in her pale radiance and Alec in his dark haze looking like polar opposites and both of them watched her with keen, almost uncaring gazes but Cairo could make out the interest lingering within them as the two watched her cross into the centre of the room. Demetri kept himself slightly ahead of her, a protective notion to his stance that surprised her; she wouldn't call it loyalty but it was something that he felt almost threatened enough to have his shoulders up they way they were sitting. Her stomach began to slowly unknot itself at this display, the comfort he already provided her, just in his presence was something she was already relying on. 

"Lovely Cairo, I'm glad to find you're finally well enough to leave your quarters, Demetri has been growing rather worried, as have we. I trust Demetri has been taking good care of you?" At Cairo's nod, Aro's smile seemed to widen impossibly and no one missed the deep, theatrical wink he directed Demetri's way. Cairo kept the smile perched on her lips for as long as she could dare hold it, noting Caius' less than warm gaze whilst Marcus looked absent, disinterested and Cairo pitied the ancient being. 

"Now, we come back to the matter of your mortality, which has been a popular topic of conversation whilst you recuperated. I know it may not seem like the most desirable course of action for you, given your clear dislike of blood but having a mortal around, with such a delightful scent to their blood proves an issue for me and my guard. Whilst Demetri assures me it won't be an issue for him to turn you, he'd much prefer that you were willing to be turned when he does and that you get a say in the matter," Warmth and gratitude for Demetri flushed through Cairo, she was glad to at least have something resembling an ally in this situation. He touched his shoulder to hers briefly, seemingly reaffirming the support and she spoke them, directing her words to Aro with brief hesitation.

"I would be grateful if you would allow that, I understand the dangers of having me around, however, I would rather establish at least a bond with Demetri before I'm tied to him forevermore if that is understandable?" Cairo knew he'd flinch but it still made her bite her lip when he did, his eyes flashing to her but there's no hurt in them because deep down, he understands exactly where she's coming from and he'd more than welcome the chance to spend time with her. Demetri wondered how Aro would take to Cairo's words, they were strong ones and though Aro had barely blinked at her statement, Caius looked rather pinched behind Aro's shoulder. But then Caius too often looked like that so Demetri reasoned it wasn't much of a change and as Aro pondered, Demetri let his eyes wander around the guard. For the most part, they looked bored, as though they'd rather be anywhere else which he didn't doubt, Jane and Alec seemed the most focussed of the guard and Marcus almost seemed attentive, the far-away look usually permanently situated upon his face had fallen away slightly, his gaze barely moving from Cairo.

"I will take your words into consideration and with some thought, I will allow you a month of humanity, to grow comfortable here and within Demetri's presence before he turns you. Is that something you can stomach?" Aro leaves the question open but Demetri can detect the warning on his master's tongue, wondering if Cairo hears it too but she shows no sign of reacting to the possible threat. Instead, his human nods mutely, keeping whatever thoughts she has to herself and Aro's face breaks again in a beaming smile.

"Ah, then we are settled! I will bid the two of you goodbye, though I ask Demetri, that you report to me this evening, we have much to discuss," Demetri nods at his master's words, allowing Cairo to step back into the safety of his proximity as they head out, both very aware of the eyes that follow them.

Tuscany was bright despite the winter chill still clinging to the hills, snow gleaming white upon mountain tops as Demetri accelerates out of the alabaster city, the sunset turning the buildings a soft yellow in its weak light. Cairo is quiet in her seat beside him, her eyes out the window as she stares into the distance, the terrain new and exciting, where Demetri had seen it all a thousand times. Siena wasn't an incredibly long journey from Volterra, and he knew the heavily populated city would have some places that Cairo could dine in and the busy atmosphere would distract him from how delightful she smelt. 

"Would you have chosen this life?" She holds little fear, he'd give her that as Demetri turned to look at her, allowing his surprise to show on his features. But really, her words made sense, she had little choice it seemed in the current situation and she was handling it quite well. He remembered Bella Swan had been notably eager to be turned but Cairo wasn't Bella, she was smarter and less ready to go blindly into a world she had little understanding of. It was something like pride that near warmed him and Demetri realised then that he'd lapsed into an almost hesitant silence and that Cairo would definitely have picked up on it.

"I met you through it, didn't I?" His voice is almost teasing but there's no lie in his statement. The idea of soulmates had always been an alluring one and the fact that his had eluded him so long made him all the more fascinated with Cairo. 

Seeing his old friends and coven mates find there's had made him rather desperate for an immortal companion when he'd been first turned but the realisation that with his tracking abilities, he wouldn't struggle to track his soulmate down and he could not immediately find their tenor had sobered him. He'd barely been able to sense Cairo's tenor until she'd stepped entirely away from the wolves and before that, the scent of her tenor had been something he'd almost annoyed, not having realised for nearly twenty years what exactly that soft pull had been. It had grown stronger when they'd left Volterra to execute the Cullens and it had startled him some, but given his masters' clear path, he had little choice but to remain close to them. Scenting her for the first time, as she'd stood amongst mutts and traitors alike had been odd, he'd almost not believed it until she'd gotten closer and he'd been sure. The soft tenor had been pulling sharply, like a rope attached to his brain that tugged and tugged and now with her sitting beside him, the tug was gone and he was almost warm.

"Did you get a choice?" Her voice is still soft, she's hiding a blush at his words and he smiled again, shaking his head detachedly. Amun hadn't quite changed him against his will but because Demetri could barely remember his mortal life, he wasn't entirely sure.

"Well, I'm glad I'll have someone to guide me through it all, it is quite daunting," Her mouth twitched wryly and Demetri glanced towards her, his eyes softening at her words and without thinking, he held out an open palm to her and smiled again as she slipped her hand into his.

The restaurant was warm, candlelit tables and fussy waiters glided between tables. Their waiter was rather perplexed that he refused a meal but Cairo was rather content with her Fettucine ragu and he found himself watching her eat, she was quite delicate about folding the pasta around the fork despite eventually getting frustrated with the entire ordeal and using her right hand to practically scoff the pasta off of the fork and Demetri chuckled at her display and chuckled some more when she glared at him, her cheeks flushing and he tried to ignore the way her blood smelled so deliciously strong when that happened. She smiled up at him a moment later and Demetri thought then, that if he'd had a heart, it would have skipped a beat.


	12. Sangria

There was something intoxicating about Demetri that Cairo found she had begun to struggle to resist. It was in the way his mouth quirked sweetly when he smiled, though she wouldn't draw attention to it in case he was largely unaware of the soft gesture, the gentleness that pervaded his eyes when they found her own was a comfort and made her belly warm at the very sweetness of it all. The dinner they'd shared, well, she'd eaten and he'd sat still for, had been an occasion she'd thoroughly enjoyed, Cairo wasn't sure if it was just getting out of the city and out of the reach of the vampires she trusted less or whether it was being able to spend time with Demetri by herself, the tangible sweetness to the evening made her feel almost weightless.

Demetri, though he'd be slower to admit to anyone outside of Felix and maybe Marcus, felt the same. It was a way he hadn't felt for many many decades, since his last true tryst with humankind before he realised the fragility of humanity and had to allow himself to retreat, but Cairo, she was different. She was essentially made for him, a decision by fate centuries before when he'd first reached the Earth. It felt rather extraordinary to him that somehow, he'd managed to find his mate at all, that the centuries of divide had not washed the possibility of a mate away and that he'd found that she was one he could dream of spending his life with.

Sitting in the back gardens with her, his fingers tangled in her own and the feel of the sweet summer sunshine on his face and the now-familiar scent of her in his arms, Demetri knew he didn't have long to savour this. Aro was more than firm about the date of her turning and Demetri knew that newborn Cairo was going to be a handful, her curiosity too often got away from her and she was more than easily distracted. All of which, Demetri found amusing and endearing but in a newborn, it posed many possibilities. She would be one of the few newborns turned amidst the Volturi and it was unusual for such a spirited human to be turned, more than often the humans preparing to be turned were on the more unwilling side or like the secretaries, on the way too willing side. He knew she'd handle it well, she'd seen Bella turn from what he'd gathered and had been around enough vampires to begin to understand them, that and her already slightly present gift made her valuable and possibly unpredictable. It unnerved him how much he worried for his human, but it was something he valued, the way he felt about Cairo had never even felt forced, despite the almost unnaturalness of the bond.

Demetri wondered sometimes how she felt about the bond, being flung into a new world with new rules and a bond she couldn't quite feel like he did, Cairo didn't yearn both for his blood and him but clearly she felt it to an extent that he was unaware of. He was grateful for her willingness to be openminded, as well as willing her future away for him but with him, he guessed they'd have forever and that, he looked forward to more than he'd ever looked forward to anything. 

Cairo had fallen asleep on him, he realised belatedly, the last golden rays of sun still warm on her cheeks and the freckles spattered there. He brushed strands of loose hair back off of her temples, pulling her up into his arms as carefully as he could so as not to wake his Sleeping Beauty before making his way back towards the castle.

It was there that he ran into trouble. Demetri had mistimed his re-entry with feeding time and one particularly late vampire made a desperately careless mistake. Demetri, so enthralled by Cairo's sleeping presence, failed to notice the other vampire until Cairo was practically wrenched from his grasp. 

Cairo awoke a moment later, letting out a scream of confused terror at the sight of the unknown vampire bearing down on her and before Demetri could intervene, or even do anything, the other vampire had sunk their teeth into the exposed flesh of the inside of Cairo's forearm. Demetri stilled, struggling as the scent of her blood burned through his nostrils and the back of his mouth, it took everything in him not to join the other vampire but that also meant he could barely inch closer so as to stop what was happening. Struggling, both with himself and his bloodlust, as well as his need to help his mate, he threw himself forward at the same time that Cairo let out a pained wail, her body jerking and Demetri found the bloodlust had begun to strengthen in waves that he was struggling to defeat.

Without another thought, as the bloodlust climbed to new heights, Demetri sank his fangs into his mate's wrist, joining the other vampire in his thirst. And by god, did her blood quench his thirst. It was the sweetest and most rich mouthful of blood he'd ever consumed and just as he went to consume more, terrible pain wracked through his temples, debilitating pain that made him release his mate to grip at his temples and howl. Through his blurred vision, he saw the other vampire suffering the same fate and in the distance, a cluster of figures surrounded something small and pale, something he could no longer make out through the haze of pain scoring through him.

It was a while later that Jane released him from her power, the other vampire was not so lucky but Demetri, with a head full of pain and guilt, could do nothing but slump to the ground as the realisation of what had happened came over him. 

"Cairo?" He asked hoarsely, directing the question at a thoughtful looking Alec and a bored Jane. Neither of them looked at him, but he saw Alec's jaw jump very briefly.

"She is going through her transformation. Marcus turned her when it was deemed you were in no state to. She lost too much blood and at first, we weren't sure if she'd make it. She's stronger than she looks," Jane sounded almost impressed by his mate, but that didn't stop the heaviness of the guilt that threatened to drown Demetri as he realised he'd nearly killed his soulmate.


	13. Teeth

The first thing Cairo felt as she woke from what felt like the most painful slumber of her life, was more pain. Pain beyond anything she'd ever felt or imagined, burning through her like fire coursing through her veins instead of blood. She knew faintly and in the back of her mind, that is was the venom. She'd felt it first when the unknown vampire had bitten her and then again, more painfully when Demetri had. It had been another type of pain that Cairo had felt when Demetri had buried his teeth in her, something that burned through her with a powerful sting that didn't just taste like pain. It was something else, an almost yearning, searing drive and she'd felt herself slacken not long after he'd bitten her because her body seemed to stop reacting. And that scared her, within her mind Cairo remembered screaming. 

The pain now, she could only hope it was from the transformation. She remembered how Bella had described it, like being burned alive and Bella was somewhat right, Cairo let that thought spill but then, then the burning, the terrible, terrible feeling of it in her chest was something overwhelmingly awful that Bella had neglected to reveal. She felt rather light, more so than she had ever felt before and it was as though one could lift her with a single finger, her limbs felt empty and her mind felt drained, everything that had been her was leaving her slowly. Bella said her memories had gone, not all of them but they were foggy in comparison to her new ones and Cairo wasn't quite ready to let go of those memories but it seemed, as her head seemed to spin on its own axis, her body was ready to let go of everything.

For what seemed like forever, Cairo was trapped within what felt like a bubble of pain. She wasn't even in her own body anymore, at least not mentally, her consciousness somewhere entirely other as everything burned. Nothing in that consciousness made any sense either, everything seemed to be entirely other, nothing was Cairo but everything was.

For the longest time, it had been silent. Hauntingly so and although Cairo wasn't usually upset by such silences, this felt eerie, terrifyingly so. When she caught traces of sound, voices in the distance and the sound of the wind shrieking, Cairo felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her chest, freeing her windpipe and when she went to breathe, she found she didn't even need to. That was new. And so was the pain that begun, the epicentre her throat as suddenly everything that hurt stopped and all seemed to redirect to burn in her throat.

Vampire. 

So they'd turned her. Cairo knew that much as her consciousness descended back to her now immortal body. She wondered whose venom ran through her veins, she doubted the Demetri had allowed anyone but himself to do that but she recalled her final moments and thought better of that sentiment. 

When her eyes finally opened, Jane was the first to her side. The blonde vampire was brighter than Cairo remembered, more expressive and Cairo watched several emotions dart through her features before Jane finally spoke.

"We thought you'd died for good, you know," There was just the right amount of callousness in Jane's voice that Cairo recognised the pale vampire as disguising her true emotions. So maybe Jane did actually care for Cairo, even just a little bit. Enough, clearly. Jane's fingers weren't as cold as normal as they came to rest on Cairo's forearm, they were almost the same temperature but Cairo could still just differentiate her slightly warmer flesh from Jane's colder. 

"Maybe that would have been for the better," Cairo spoke her morbid thoughts without much care, Jane's sharp, unnecessary inhale told her it wasn't the best thing to say. Demetri must be close. He could hear them, that much had ticked in Cairo's mind but she didn't regret speaking as she had. There was a desolate knowingness in the staring down the face of eternity, the endless pit of immortality. It was both daunting and apprehending, although Cairo found herself almost wistful. Eternity couldn't be that bad, could it?

She stood not long after, almost a wobbly fawn on her new vampire legs and joined Jane at the standing mirror to glimpse her vampire self for the first time. For a moment, Cairo merely admired herself, acknowledging the beauty that vampirism had awarded her before her eyes sought out Jane and ignoring the pain that still burned in her throat, she practically whispered her question.

"Where is Demetri?" And why hadn't he been with her when she woke up. She recalled faintly the events that had occurred before she had died but she couldn't quite grasp why that would mean he was keeping his distance.

"He is waiting until I allow him in. Do you think you're ready?" Jane was surprisingly patient, Cairo was grateful for the sudden bond between the two of them although she doubted it was through any doings of her own.

When Demetri joined them, Jane still hovering by Cairo's side as Cairo found her balance, Cairo could barely look at him. She wasn't quite sure why, to begin with, but the deep burn in her throat and the acid that seemed to begin to boil in her stomach was a good indicator. But why was she reacting like this around another vampire? Catching a glimpse of him briefly, Cairo found she was even more entranced by his beauty now, despite the fact that it made her throat burn more aggressively than before. Without warning, and without the thought of doing so even processing enough that Cairo could stop it, she whined. For what and why, Cairo wasn't quite sure but Jane was, her eyes deep crimson as she watched the newborn she had sired.

"Demetri. Go." Jane's voice snapped Cairo back to attention and she gave the other female vampire a curious look that Jane all but ignored.

"He is as much your bloodsinger as you were his and with your bloodlust not yet contained, I don't want any accidents. You are still a lot stronger than most of us as a newborn and even Demetri and his centuries of battle knowledge would struggle to go up against you, especially with you being his bloodsinger," Jane was calm as she spoke, despite the thoughts scoring through her head but she was becoming almost anxious. She needed Cairo to feed, Jane could practically feel Cairo's thirst as her own and it was making her antsy. She could hear her brother approaching and with him, she could hear the erratic heartbeat of a human, Cairo's first meal as a newborn. Not quite a hunt but it would have to do, for now, the Volturi couldn't run the risk of having too many vampires hunting in tandem.

Cairo had also heard the human, her eyes snapping up and her limbs stilling almost in preparation for it and Jane felt an odd sense of pride at seeing what was essentially 'her' newborn reacting so well to it. Cairo was not erratic, she was calculated and cautious to react as Alec finally arrived, near hurling the human into the room before him. Cairo growled quietly, a sound that amused both the twins in its familiarity. Both likened it to that of a house cat more than that of a predator, but the newborn didn't need to know that. 

"Go on, he's all yours," Jane sang, noting with a flare of pride that Cairo was looking to her almost for instruction before the newborn whirled upon the human and it was over.


	14. Daylight

It was not long before Cairo began to wonder how on Earth the Cullens could simply feed off of animals, especially with how delightful humans tasted. She had scented a deer midway through a hunt with Jane and Alec. The twins had practically adopted her into their extra-special-goth-gang, much to Felix's dismay but Demetri was yet to comment on her bond with the two of them. As she considered them, it had been then that Cairo caught sight of the deer and practically gagged at the scent of its blood. It was similar enough to human blood in that she could easily testify that it would be something filling enough, but not in the way human blood was.

It tasted off, even just the scent of it and as Cairo drew back with her lip curling, Jane's laughter burst like strange music. She whirled to look at Jane, who was alight with mirth and Cairo could see Alec was containing laughter too, he was the more steely of the two but even she had cracked his demeanour.

"Your face! I bet you are wondering how the Cullens can survive permanently on them, we do not really know either, trust me!" Jane's features collapsed back into a smirk and the scent of humans became overwhelming enough that the newborn struggling within Cairo burst free and she snarled, her teeth ripped into her bottom lip as she scented them.

The group was small and they clung together as though they could detect the hunters lingering in the shadows just out of reach of their feeble human eyes. The taste of their blood satiated her more swiftly than it usually did and she fed once more before deciding she's been greedy enough, letting the two broken bodies crumple to her feet. Alec and Jane seemed to have finished the other two, Jane releasing the female still gasping for air through her torn throat and Alec had a blood-red smile spreading from his cheeks. 

"Race you back?" Alec called over to Cairo, who was releasing her pinned back hair again, letting the tendrils unfurl around her blood-spattered face. Her hair, for the most part, remained unchanged by her transformation although she found it a lot easier to maintain. The relief of having permanently clear skin was also something that made vampirism a huge plus for Cairo, which she'd informed Jane of and the other vampire had just laughed, before making a quiet comment that she'd never had to deal with bad skin. Cairo had tried not to flinch at that, she forgot how old the twins really were and when they'd died because they seemed so ancient and knowing but really, they had died when they were nearly five years her junior. 

They'd barely lived as humans and she wondered if they were relieved to finally have another vampire that was their 'age' in the guard as being surrounded by eternal middle-aged and twenty-something vampires for two perma-teenagers sounded rather boring with only the other for company. But then again, their powers and reluctance to allow anyone into their goth gang of two made it harder still for them to branch out socially. Even Demetri had seemed rather surprised when it appeared that the twins had adopted Cairo and even offered to train her, something that was apparently rather irregular for the twins. Felix had commented that it was the first time that the twins had apparently shown interest in another vampire and though Cairo wasn't surprised, she'd feigned it for Felix's sake. The guard was rather out of tune with their younger members, despite the twins' ancient personas but Cairo wasn't about to comment.

They arrived back to the city as snow began to fall in light flecks that turned the ground into a slurry of dirt and water before it hardened just enough to become icy. Cairo almost missed being able to feel cold, she still layered as she would as a human in this weather for appearances sakes but the winter chill did not touch her as it once had. Sometimes she wished it would so that she could still feel something, anything. But the cold eluded her, as did most of the feelings it seemed had deserted her. 

Love, however, and feeling loved, was something that remained. Pleasantly so, as being around Demetri was like a shot of adrenaline. She also experienced those same almost warm feelings when she spent time with Alec and Jane and even Felix, but to a different extent than with Demetri. Cairo was also aware of Chelsea's powers and the warmth that radiated from the vampire female but it wasn't the same rich warmth she associated with the others, there was a stretched, almost thin feeling to that warmth. Part of Cairo wondered how any of the other vampires were affected by it as it felt entirely different from normal affection but Cairo was still on the verge of an outsider. Despite her connection to Demetri and Aro's lust for her apparent powers, her friendship with the twins was one of the few things that made her intrinsic to the Volturi guard. Otherwise, she'd be merely like Heidi or one of the lesser guards but because of her mate and her friends, she'd jumped the hierarchy a fair way.

Demetri was waiting in their shared quarters when Cairo finally said goodbye to Alec and Jane, the two had watch duty and could no longer train with her that evening. Cairo was still just getting used to not having the need to sleep or rest or anything that she was used to having to do daily. Demetri was on their almost unnecessary bed, reading something that looked like it predated Cairo by several centuries and the smell of dust that wandered up from it confirmed that suspicion. 

With a low grumble, she collapsed practically on top of her mate, curling into his chest as a slightly off guard Demetri took her into his arms with little hesitation. Intimacy between the two of them had started off cautious. Her newborn status meant that her strength even outweighed Felix's immense power and her moods were flighty. Demetri had been wary at first, Cairo had originally been upset when he'd carefully removed her embrace because it was too tight even for him. 

She'd eventually realised that she was a lot stronger than him and remained so, even despite her becoming more in command of her new lifestyle. They still struggled a little as Cairo found she struggled with herself internally more than she'd like to admit. Grappling with self-consciousness, fear of intimacy and general fear of having someone so close to her, especially someone who she had feelings for made her feel immensely guilty and as though she wasn't enough for Demetri in that same thought. He was horrified that she would feel guilty or even ashamed and had assured her several times that he was completely prepared to wait until she was comfortable, a soothing gesture that put her mind at ease. There was also the issue of her still being stronger than him, that she feared to hurt him but he'd soothed that too, promising her he was fine and that if he was ever not, she'd know.

It was getting easier, Cairo found that initiating contact usually felt better for her and carried less of the nerves that him initiating dredged up. Clinging to his middle and feeling the cold, hard flesh of his torso beneath her face, she turned to look up at him. Demetri was already watching her, his crimson eyes full of that same warmth that licked up her back every time she looked at him.

He was beautiful, in every way. It was almost annoying. Perfection had a nice way of gilding her mate and with every glance, it was though he became more and more like some demi-god trapped in an immortal body. She wondered briefly if tales of Apollo and his beauty were actually that of Demetri, a thought she teased him with till he laughed, his stomach shaking against her and Cairo wriggled up to lay her head into the gap between his shoulder and head, pressing a sweet kiss to his neck. For a while, it was just them again. Just the two of them and for a while, that was all that mattered to Cairo.

But they were only safe in the eye of the storm for a little longer. Sooner or later, the hurricane was going to hit and Demetri, safe in Cairo's arms, knew better than her just how hard it might hit them.


End file.
